Aaron Schneekloth
| Aaron Schneekloth | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Schneekloth with the Colorado Eagles in 2011 | |||
| Born |
July 15, 1978 | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Grand Rapids Griffins Houston Aeros Colorado Eagles | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2001–2013 | ||
Aaron Schneekloth (born July 15, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who later moved into coaching within the Colorado Avalanche organization, serving as head coach of their American Hockey League affiliate. On June 17, 2025, he joined the Seattle Kraken as an assistant coach.
Playing career
He is best known for his lengthy and impactful tenure with the Colorado Eagles, during which he competed in both the Central Hockey League (CHL) and later the ECHL after the franchise transitioned leagues.[1] By the time he retired, he had cemented himself in the team's record books, ranking second in franchise history with an impressive 382 games played. Offensively, he was a key contributor from the blue line, finishing fifth all-time in total points with 356.
Coaching career
After completing the 2012–13, his twelfth as a pro, Schneekloth announced his retirement from playing and, on August 23, 2013, transitioned into an assistant coaching position with the Eagles.[2] He was elevated to head coach on July 18, 2016,[3] and under his leadership the Eagles captured consecutive Kelly Cup championships in 2017 and 2018. When the team advanced to the American Hockey League (AHL) for the 2018–19 season, Schneekloth remained on staff, continuing with the Eagles as an assistant coach.[4]
After head coach Greg Cronin departed the Colorado Eagles to accept a promotion to the NHL, Schneekloth was reappointed as the team's head coach on July 7, 2023.[5]
On June 17, 2025, Schneekloth was officially appointed as an assistant coach for the NHL's Seattle Kraken.[6]
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1996–97 | South Surrey Eagles | BCHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | U. of North Dakota | WCHA | 35 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | U. of North Dakota | WCHA | 34 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | U. of North Dakota | WCHA | 46 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | U. of North Dakota | WCHA | 35 | 8 | 21 | 29 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | South Carolina Stingrays | ECHL | 9 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03 | South Carolina Stingrays | ECHL | 41 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 36 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2002–03 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 56 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | New Mexico Scorpions | CHL | 60 | 3 | 36 | 39 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Austin Ice Bats | CHL | 59 | 16 | 27 | 43 | 79 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Houston Aeros | AHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Colorado Eagles | CHL | 47 | 11 | 35 | 46 | 70 | 25 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 16 | ||
| 2007–08 | Colorado Eagles | CHL | 59 | 21 | 39 | 60 | 42 | 16 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 20 | ||
| 2008–09 | Colorado Eagles | CHL | 64 | 18 | 37 | 55 | 82 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 6 | ||
| 2009–10 | Colorado Eagles | CHL | 64 | 26 | 40 | 66 | 54 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Colorado Eagles | CHL | 36 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 34 | 22 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 14 | ||
| 2011–12 | Colorado Eagles | ECHL | 72 | 20 | 42 | 62 | 50 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Colorado Eagles | ECHL | 40 | 6 | 28 | 34 | 25 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ||
| ECHL totals | 152 | 35 | 97 | 132 | 119 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | ||||
| AHL totals | 64 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| CHL totals | 389 | 104 | 238 | 342 | 401 | 82 | 17 | 41 | 58 | 57 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| CHL | ||
| All-CHL Team | 2008 | [7] |
| All-CHL Team | 2009 | [7] |
| Most Outstanding Defenseman | 2009 | |
| All-CHL Team | 2010 | [7] |
| Most Outstanding Defenseman | 2010 | |
| ECHL | ||
| All-ECHL First Team | 2012 | |
| Defenseman of the Year | 2012 | [8] |
References
- ↑ "Veterans Nelson, Schneekloth back for Eagles 10th anniversary season". ECHL. 2012-09-20. Archived from the original on 2012-09-23. Retrieved 2012-09-20.
- ↑ "Aaron Schneekloth retires, replaces Greg Pankewicz as assistant coach". Coloradoan. 2013-08-23. Retrieved 2013-08-23.
- ↑ "Colorado Eagles name Aaron Schneekloth to replace Chris Stewart". Reporter-Herald. July 18, 2016.
- ↑ "AVALANCHE NAME CRONIN COLORADO EAGLES HEAD COACH". Colorado Eagles. July 12, 2018.
- ↑ "Aaron Schneekloth named Colorado Eagles head coach". Colorado Avalanche. July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ↑ "Seattle Kraken Announce Additions to Coaching Staff". Seattle Kraken. June 17, 2025. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- 1 2 3 "All-CHL Teams". Eliteprospects.com. 2011-01-02. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
- ↑ "Colorado's Schneekloth named ECHL defenseman of the year". ECHL. 2012-04-04. Archived from the original on 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- 1978 births
- Living people
- Austin Ice Bats players
- Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
- Canadian ice hockey defencemen
- Colorado Eagles players
- Grand Rapids Griffins players
- Houston Aeros (1994–2013) players
- Ice hockey people from Calgary
- NCAA men's ice hockey national champions
- New Mexico Scorpions (CHL) players
- North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's ice hockey players
- South Carolina Stingrays players