Blues Hire Cronin, Prospal as Assistant Coaches for 2026-27 Season

The St. Louis Blues have finalized their coaching staff for the 2026-27 season by hiring Greg Cronin and Vaclav “Vinny” Prospal as assistant coaches. Both will join Jim Montgomery’s staff under multi-year contracts. Jeremy Coupal also returns as assistant coach – video after signing a new deal.

Cronin brings decades of coaching experience to St. Louis. The 63-year-old spent last season as head coach of the AHL’s Iowa Wild with a 27-36-9 record. Over his 40-year coaching career, Cronin has held assistant and head coaching roles in the NHL, AHL, and NCAA. He previously served as head coach of the Colorado Eagles from 2018 to 2023, leading them to four playoff appearances. Cronin also coached the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and the New York Islanders, and spent six years at Northeastern University.

Prospal adds a player’s perspective to the staff. The 51-year-old spent the past three seasons with the Rochester Americans in the AHL, helping them qualify for the postseason each year. He posted a 112-76-28 record during that span. As a player, Prospal played 1,108 career NHL games and ranks seventh among Czechia-born players in points with 765. He led Czechia to a bronze at the 2006 Winter Olympics and gold at the 2000 and 2005 World Championships.

Jeremy Coupal returns to the NHL after serving as video coach for Team Canada at the 2025 and 2026 Spengler Cups. The 37-year-old spent seven seasons as the Oilers’ video coach and three as the Predators’ video coordinator. Elliott Mondou has also been promoted from video coach to assistant to the general manager under Alexander Steen.

“Greg, Vinny, and Jeremy represent elite coaching talent coming to the St. Louis Blues,” Montgomery said. “Greg is a skilled teacher of defensive habits and the penalty kill with experience as a head coach and assistant that will benefit our vets and young elites equally; Vinny brings a creative offensive mind honed by his success as a player on the power play and five-on-five, providing valuable expertise to our forward group and power play. Jeremy is a high-end video coach who we are fortunate to bring back to the NHL with his unique skillset and knowledge.”

David Alexander returns as director of goaltending and Ryan Stacy continues as video coordinator. The Blues now have a full coaching staff in place as they prepare for the new season.