Glen Gulutzan

Glen Gulutzan
Date of birth	August 12, 1971
place of birth	The Pas , Manitoba , Canada
size	178 cm
Weight	82 kg
position	center
Shot hand	Left
Career stations
1986-1988	Moose Jaw Warriors
1989-1991	Brandon Wheat Kings
1991-1992	Saskatoon Blades
1992-1994	University of Saskatchewan
1994-1995	Tranås AIF
1995-1996	IK Vita Hästen
1996-1997	Fresno Falcons
1997-1998	Vaasan Sport
1998-2003	Fresno Falcons

Glen Gulutzan (born August 12, 1971 in The Pas , Manitoba ) is a former Canadian ice hockey player and current coach . During his active career he played for the Utah Grizzlies and Las Vegas Thunder in the International Hockey League and for the Fresno Falcons in the West Coast Hockey League . In Europe, Gulutzan was active for the Swedish second division clubs Tranås AIF and IK Vita Hästen as well as for the Finnish club Vaasan Sport . As head coach, he was in charge of the Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames in the National Hockey League before he was hired as assistant coach by the Edmonton Oilers in May 2018 .

Career as a player

Gulutzan was initially active in the period from 1986 to 1992 for the Moose Jaw Warriors , Brandon Wheat Kings and Saskatoon Blades in the Canadian junior league Western Hockey League , before he was from the 1992/93 season for two seasons for the ice hockey team of the University of Saskatchewan in the Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union (CIAU) went on the ice. The Canadian continued his career following his university days in the 1994/95 season with the Swedish second division team Tranås AIF from Division 1 , for which Gulutzan played in all 32 games of the season.

The left shooter decided to stay for another season in the league operation of the second highest Swedish league level and accepted an offer from league competitor IK Vita Hästen for the 1995/96 season . After the league was secured, the striker left the team and signed a working paper with the Fresno Falcons from the West Coast Hockey League in the summer of 1996 . There Gulutzan quickly advanced to a leading player and top performer of the traditional California team . The Canadian ended the 1996/97 season with a record of 30 goals and 80 assists in 60 regular season games, placing him fifth in the league. Within the team, only storm partner Craig Lyons was more successful with 111 points. In the same season, the left-shooter was also in a few games for the Utah Grizzlies and Las Vegas Thunder in the International Hockey League , the offensive player did not get beyond the status of the gap filler.

Notwithstanding a personally successful season in the Fresno Falcons jersey, he left North America after just one season and hired the Finnish second division club Vaasan Sport , who had only been promoted to the I-divisioona before the start of the season . For the 1998/99 season Gulutzan returned to the Fresno Falcons in the West Coast Hockey League, for which the Canadian was active until the cessation of league operations in May 2003. Only in 1999 did the attacker run into eleven games for Tranås AIF, for which he had already been active in the 1994/95 season and with which he was able to maintain the league in the second-highest Swedish league. Back in Fresno Gulutzan succeeded in the 2001/02 season with the team to win the championship of the WCHL and the trophy, the Taylor Cup .

Career as a coach

In his last two seasons in the Fresno Falcons jersey, the Canadian also served in the role as player- coach under head coach Blaine Moore . For one season at a time, he filled the role of assistant coach together with an active member of the Californians, initially with Mike McCourt ; Greg Spenrath stood by the attacker's side for the last season . Then Gulutzan decided to focus entirely on a career as head coach and received a corresponding offer from the Las Vegas Wranglers from the ECHL for the 2003/04 season . In its first season, he led the expansion team to the finals and was defeated in the first round by the later Kelly Cup winner Idaho Steelheads . In total, the Canadian was behind the gang with the Wranglers from the casino metropolis Las Vegas for six years, with the greatest success being recorded in the 2007/08 season with his entry into the Kelly Cup final series. His leadership skills were also recognized; In 2006, the Canadian received the John Brophy Award for ECHL's Head Coach of the Year.

From 2009 to 2011 he was active in the same position with the Texas Stars from the American Hockey League and reached the final series of the Calder Cup , which against the Hershey Bears , with the farm team of the Dallas Stars from the National Hockey League in the 2009/10 season ended with a 2-4 defeat. After Marc Crawford , head coach of the Dallas Stars, was relieved of his duties in spring 2011, Gulutzan was introduced by the Texans in June 2011 as the sixth head coach in the franchise 's history and installed as his successor. After two seasons in the service of the Dallas Stars with no playoff participation, Gulutzan was released in May 2013.

This was followed by three years as an assistant coach at the Vancouver Canucks , before he was introduced as the new head coach of the Calgary Flames in June 2016 , where Bob Hartley inherited. Gulutzan oversaw the Flames for two seasons before being fired in April 2018 after missing the playoffs. Less than a month later, he and Trent Yawney were hired as Todd McLellan's new assistant at the Edmonton Oilers .

Achievements and Awards

• 2002 Taylor Cup win with the Fresno Falcons
• 2006 John Brophy Award

Web links

• Glen Gulutzan at eliteprospects.com (English)
• Glen Gulutzan at hockeydb.com (English)