The Guelph Storm has a new coach.
Cory Stillman was announced as the new coach Thursday morning. The 18th head coach in franchise history, replacing the fired Chad Wiseman.
Most recently Stillman was an assistant coach with the NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
Stillman said in pursuing his dream of being a head coach in the National Hockey League, he knew it meant being a head coach again and he felt the Ontario Hockey League was the best place for that.
"I was a head coach in Sudbury and went up to the National Hockey League to get some more experience and I learned a lot from some good coaches – Rick Tocchet and Andre Tourigny," Stillman said.
"I learned a lot about the game and wanted to be a head coach again. I think this is the right step, going back and going to a great organization in Guelph."
Stillman said through "networking" the Storm knew he was interested in becoming a head coach and "the interview process takes off from there."
Stillman knows George Burnett through their years in the game and played with Storm co-owner and director of hockey operations Scott Walker for two years with the Carolina Hurricanes.
"You need to touch all the spots to be a good National Hockey League coach. Some go to the American Hockey League. Some are assistant coaches.
"Am I looking to get back into the NHL within a year? No. In two (years)? No. I want to come to Guelph and I'd like to win a championship."
Stillman said it's important to go to the right situation and be around the right people.
"It always has to be a fit," he said. "This is a great fit for me."
Stillman, currently in Arizona but whose home is just north of Peterborough, is well aware the Storm team will be a younger group next year and the emphasis will be on development and teaching.
"We start in August but we better be a lot better in April," Stillman said.
The rest of the coaching staff will be finalized in the ensuing weeks. Stillman still has to meet last year's assistants, who still hold the positions.
“Cory brings a wealth of experience as a player and champion as well as a mentor and a teacher of young players,” said Storm general manager George Burnett in a press release. “His desire to return to a head coaching role and lead our group both on and off the ice was very apparent throughout this process. I look forward to working closely with Cory to continue to move our program forward.”
Stillman spent three seasons as the Sudbury Wolves’ bench boss before joining the Arizona Coyotes as an assistant coach in 2020-21.
Stillman played in the league for three seasons where he was awarded the Emms Family Trophy as OHL Rookie of the Year with the Windsor Spitfires in 1991 and won a J. Ross Robertson Cup with his hometown Peterborough Petes in 1993. During his three seasons in the OHL, Stillman amassed 271 points in 178 regular season games and added another 26 points in 36 career playoff games.
After being drafted 6th overall by the Calgary Flames in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, Stillman went on to record 727 points in 1025 career NHL games split between the Flames, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, Ottawa Senators, and Florida Panthers. Stillman won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Lightning and Hurricanes in 2003-04 and 2005-06.
After the conclusion of his playing career in 2010-11, Stillman went on to work in Player Development for the NHL’s Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes before returning to the OHL as Head Coach of the Sudbury Wolves in 2017-18 where he mentored the likes of Quinton Byfield, Jack Thompson, Chase Stillman, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Isaak Phillips.
A Zoom press conference with Stillman is scheduled for noon.
