Kurt Kleinendorst is out as head coach of the Iowa Wild, Minnesota’s AHL affiliate.
Kleinendorst, 53, was turfed following a loss on Sunday that dropped the Wild to 2-10 on the year, and will be replaced by former NHLer and head coach John Torchetti.
A veteran hockey man, Kleinendorst has coached extensively throughout the American League over the last 10 years and, prior to that, had a brief stint as an assistant in New Jersey during the 2001-02 campaign.
He won a Calder Cup with Binghamton during the 2010-11 season but was unable to replicate that success in Iowa; Kleinendorst missed the playoffs last year and got off to the aforementioned dreadful start this season.
Update: Here’s the club’s statement...
Iowa Wild General Manager Jim Mill announced on Tuesday the American Hockey League (AHL) club has named John Torchetti as the second head coach in team history. Mill also announced that Kurt Kleinendorst has been relieved of his head coaching duties.
“Over the last few weeks, it became clearly evident that the team was not playing up to our expectations. We believe and Kurt agreed, that a change was necessary to get the team moving in the right direction. I would like to thank Kurt for the hard work he provided over the last year and a half, and wish him the best in the future,” said Mill.
“John Torchetti is a Stanley Cup Champion and has achieved success at every level. We look forward to him putting his stamp on our team and getting us in position for the Calder Cup Playoffs.”
