The Colorado Eagles are off to a hot start, currently sitting in first place in the Pacific Division with a record of 6–2–0. Like most AHL teams, the Eagles have a combination of returning players, new players from other teams, and a few incoming rookies. But together, those players are forging a winning team identity.

Team Identity

When asked why they’ve been able to be so successful this early in the year, everybody Hockey Mountain High has spoken to has mentioned the camaraderie of the team as the key to their success. The devotion these players have to each other on the ice, their belief in each other, and their willingness to stand up for each other help the team win. Tristen Nielsen, Jayson Megna, and Coach Letestu have all alluded to this team mentality, but the coach might have put it best.

“Coaches are only as good as what the players put on the ice. They’ve bought into each other, and I think that’s more important than anything. Doesn’t really matter what systems I roll out there or anything like that. The cohesiveness, the willing to do it for the guy next to you. I think that’s what’s showing up night-to-night, and that’s when you get good results and things I’m most proud of right now.

When asked about games getting chippy the Coach returned to the same theme:

“We’re all about team. There was nobody in a pile by themselves. Sticking up for each other, really. A team toughness, team effort, and when it gets chippy like that, it’s the strength of the group. And I was happy to see nobody in any pile by themselves.”

It helps that so many of the Eagles’ core players returned to the lineup this year. Veterans Megna, Keaton Middleton, TJ Tynan, and Jacob MacDonald have all helped shape this team. They’ve created a strong team identity and a belief in each other that’s easy to buy into. Returning defensemen Wyatt Aamodt and Jack Ahcan have been outstanding, contributing multiple assists (five for Aamodt, four for Ahcan). Fresh blood likewise played a critical role in the team’s achievement. Danil Gushchin and Nielsen together have scored nine of the team’s twenty goals. Alex Barré-Boulet has added a grittiness to the team, adding three assists of his own. Rookies like Reilly Connors, Taylor Makar, Alex Gagne, and Isak Posch are rising to the occasion. All eager to help their team in any way they can.

Captain Jayson Megna credits the Avalanche for helping mold the team’s identity.

“It’s a winning culture right from day one in training camp, and guys have an expectation of how they want to play and how the system should look and obviously be successful here. I’m really excited about our team. I think we got a lot of great pieces. Certainly the culture from [the Avalanche] trickles down to here.”

It starts with the Coach

AHL teams are used to having a lot of player turnover from one season to the next. But this year, Colorado also has a completely new coaching staff for the first time since 2013. Aaron Schneekloth served as their assistant coach from 2013 until 2016. He then became the head coach for their final two years in the ECHL (2016–2017 and 2017–2018), leading them to Kelly Cup Championships both years.

Kelly Cup Champions 2018

Upon moving to the AHL, Schneekloth became the assistant coach to Greg Cronin for the next five years, then once again became the head coach for the 2023–24 and 2024–25 seasons.

Twelve years with Schneekloth at the helm.

Now that Schneekloth is serving as an assistant coach for the Seattle Kraken, Coach Mark Letestu has taken the reins here in Colorado, assisted by Derek Army. So far, the transition has been smooth. But again, Letestu gives credit not to himself, but to Schneekloth and the players themselves.

“To be honest, [Schneekloth] probably gets an assist for a lot of this, the framework for which the guys compete, how much they care, the pride they have in wearing the sweater. It’s easy to see. As a coach, I think the fan base appreciates it.

As an example, he alluded to the end of the Eagles’ Friday night game against the Rockford IceHogs (CHI).

It’s a five nothing game, penalty kills at the end, and they’re still blocking shots for the guy in the net. It’s pretty cool to see. So [Schneekloth] deserves an assist there, you know? And I’m just kind of picking up where he left off.

But for everybody on the team, picking up where last year’s team left off means one thing: winning a championship. The disappointment of being knocked out of the playoffs by the eventual Calder Cup Champions serves as motivation for Megna and the rest of the Eagles.

I think obviously [we were] disappointed we did not reach our ultimate goal. We had a great team and fell short to the team that won it. So coming into this year, we got a lot of returning guys, and I think the expectation remains the same. We want to win a championship here, and I feel like we have the team to do it.

The Eagles will continue their quest tonight against the Bakersfield Condors (EDM). AHLTV on FloHockey.com will stream the games.