GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The search for the next head coach is on for the Grands Rapids Griffins.
On Sunday, Griffins general manager Shawn Horcoff made the "difficult" decision to not renew head coach Ben Simon's contract. Three other assistants also were not offered new contracts.
Simon spent the last five seasons as the head coach of the team. Simon was the 11th head coach in Griffins history and was on the coaching staff as an assistant with Grand Rapids won the Calder Cup in 2017.
Horcoff says he waited to see the whole season out to make a full evaluation on the coaching staff. After the final game of the year, he believed finding a new voice would be the move the Griffins would make.
Horcoff says it will be an extensive search. He does not know who he wants to be the next head coach. He has some candidates in mind, but he wants to take his time.
However, Horcoff does have a few characteristics he is looking for in his next head coach.
"I think communication for a coach at that level is important," Horcoff said. "With communication comes personality. I think you need a coach who can communicate good with the players and really development a friendship with and get these players to trust them and buy in from an early time. I think relationships is important especially with young players."
Assistant coaches Matt Macdonald, Todd Krygier and goaltending development coach Brian Mahoney-Wilson are the assistants on the way out as well as Simon.
The Griffins finished the 2022-23 season with a 28-36-4-4 overall record.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
