Vellucci voted AHL’s high coach for 2018-19 | TheAHL.com

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League introduced at present that Mike Vellucci of the Charlotte Checkers is the winner of the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award because the AHL’s excellent coach for the 2018-19 season.The award is voted on by fellow coaches and members of the media in every of the league’s 31 cities.Below Vellucci’s steering, the Checkers had their most profitable common season ever in 2018-19, ending with a league-best document of 51-17-7-1 (110 factors) and the 10th-highest factors share (.724) in AHL historical past. Charlotte led the league in penalty killing at 86.6 % and ranked second in objectives allowed (2.49 per sport) whereas additionally inserting fifth in scoring (three.36 objectives scored per sport). Vellucci has additionally been instrumental in growing prospects for the Carolina Hurricanes, who reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season for the primary time in a decade; 11 completely different Checkers gamers earned recollects to Carolina this season.Vellucci, a 52-year-old native of Farmington, Mich., is in his second season as head coach of the Checkers and his fifth yr as assistant normal supervisor and director of hockey operations for the Hurricanes. He beforehand spent 14 seasons with Plymouth of the Ontario Hockey League, the place he was twice named OHL Coach of the 12 months (2007, 2013). Vellucci was a 1984 draft alternative by the Hartford Whalers and performed professionally in a number of leagues, together with 40 video games within the AHL with Binghamton.The Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award, which was first offered in 1968, honors the late Mr. Pieri, a long-time contributor to the AHL because the proprietor and normal supervisor of the Windfall Reds and a member of the American Hockey League Corridor of Fame. Earlier winners of the award embrace Frank Mathers (1969), Fred Shero (1970), Al MacNeil (1972, ’77), John Muckler (1975), Jacques Demers (1983), Larry Pleau (1987), Mike Milbury (1988), John Paddock (1988), Marc Crawford (1993), Barry Trotz (1994), Robbie Ftorek (1995, ’96), Peter Laviolette (1999), Claude Julien and Geoff Ward (2003), Claude Noel (2004), Randy Cunneyworth (2005), Kevin Dineen (2006), Scott Gordon (2008), Scott Arniel (2009), John Hynes (2011), Jon Cooper (2012), Willie Desjardins (2013), Jeff Blashill (2014), Mike Stothers (2015), Rick Kowalsky (2016), Roy Sommer (2017) and Pascal Vincent (2018).In operation since 1936, the American Hockey League continues to function the highest improvement league for all 31 Nationwide Hockey League groups. Practically 90 % of all gamers competing within the NHL are AHL graduates, and thru the years the American Hockey League has been house to greater than 100 honored members of the Hockey Corridor of Fame. Sixteen golf equipment will proceed to vie for the league’s coveted championship trophy when the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs get underway Wednesday.Photograph: China Wong/AHL