The Cleveland Monsters, Columbus’ AHL affiliate, have found a very familiar face to replace their outgoing assistant coach. The team lost Carey Krug earlier this month when he left the team, but will now hire Trent Vogelhuber to take his spot. Vogelhuber has decided to retire from playing in order to take the position, ending a seven year professional career spent entirely in the minor leagues.
Vogelhuber, 30, is a well known member of the Ohio hockey community and was drafted by the Blue Jackets in 2007. Though he was 211th overall, he still put together a solid minor league career that included winning the Calder Cup with the then-Lake Erie Monsters in 2016. He was an alternate captain on that team, but followed his head coach Jared Bednar to the Colorado Avalanche organization the following season.
Now back with the Monsters in a coaching position, Vogelhuber is the exact type of person who could quickly climb the ranks quickly. His youth and experience in the NCAA will only aid him as he tries to communicate with the next wave of Blue Jackets prospects, and he should help them fill the vacancy left by Krug’s departure. Bill Zito, GM of the Monsters released a statement to express his reasoning for the hire:
We are very excited to have Trent join our coaching staff in Cleveland. Trent was a smart, hard-working player and this is a great next step in his hockey career. The timing worked out given Carey’s decision to return to his family and the personal hockey instruction work he does in the Detroit-area.