It didn’t take long for the Spokane Chiefs to find the replacement for Manny Vivieros.
The Western Hockey League club announced on Tuesday that Adam Maglio was being promoted from associate coach to head coach for the upcoming season.
“When we hired Manny last year, Adam was a very strong consideration for the head coach position,” general manager Scott Carter said in a prepared statement.
“We were very excited he took our associate coach job and learned from Manny last season. I believe he is one of the top young coaches available and I know he will follow in the footsteps of many great Chiefs coaches before him.”
Maglio joined the Chiefs after spending two seasons as the head coach of the Prince George Spruce Kings in the British Columbia Hockey League.
After making a trip to the league final in 2018, the Spruce Kings captured the BCHL and Doyle Cup titles in 2019 before losing to the Brooks Bandits in the National Junior A Championship final.
“I look forward to continue working with our players and staff,” Maglio said in a prepared statement.
“We want to be a consistent team. To be consistent, I believe it starts with our team culture, competitive level and a growth mindset collectively. We will work extremely hard as a staff to achieve these goals and ultimately develop both our players and our team game.”
The Chiefs’ head coaching job became open on Monday when Vivieros took a job as the head coach for the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League.
“I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to grow as a coach and learn the league with Manny,” Maglio said.
“I’m excited for his new opportunity, which is very well deserved.”
At 34 years of age, Maglio will be the youngest coach in the WHL when the 2020-21 season gets underway.
He’s one year older than Mark O’Leary, who took over the Moose Jaw Warriors’ coaching duties from Tim Hunter in January.
In terms of the Canadian Hockey League, Maglio is tied with Billy Burke (Niagara IceDogs), Steve Hartley (Drummondville Voltigeurs), Paul McFarland (Kingston Frontenacs) and Mike McKenzie (Kitchener Rangers) as the second youngest bench boss across all three leagues.
The youngest coach in the CHL is 30-year-old Eric Wellwood (Flint Firebirds).
