Kraken add three to Lane Lambert's coaching staff

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JUNE 09: Lane Lambert poses for a portrait after being named head coach of the Seattle Kraken at the Kraken Community Iceplex on June 09, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Christopher Mast / NHLI / Getty Images)

SEATTLE - The Seattle Kraken announced the hiring of Aaron Schneekloth, Chris Taylor and Colin Zulianello as assistant coaches for new head coach Lane Lambert's staff on Tuesday afternoon.

The trio joins Jessica Campbell, and video assistants Tim Ohashi and Brady Morgan as the only holdovers from Dan Bylsma's coaching staff last season.

Schneekloth and Zulianello join Seattle from the AHL ranks, while Taylor joins Seattle after five years as an assistant with the New Jersey Devils. Schneekloth most recently served as the head coach of the Colorado Eagles (the Colorado Avalanche AHL affiliate), and Zulianello was the goaltending coach with the Kraken's farm team in Coachella Valley.

"I'm excited to have Aaron, Chris, and Colin join our coaching staff," Lambert said in a statement. "Each of them brings a wealth of experience and a unique voice to the locker room, and Colin's familiarity with the goalies in our system will be a huge benefit heading into the upcoming season."

Schneekloth, 46, has been with the Eagles since the 2006-07 season, first as a player and then as a coach. He spent seven seasons as a player with the Eagles as the team, first in the Central Hockey League and then the ECHL. Schneekloth retired to became a coach with the team in 2013, and was named head coach in 2016. He then led the team to two consecutive Kelly Cup titles in the ECHL in 2017 and 2018 before the team joined the AHL.

With the move to the AHL, Schneekloth became as assistant again under head coach Greg Cronin before getting the head job again when Cronin left in 2023 to became the Anaheim Ducks coach. He's spent the last two years with Colorado, earning Calder Cup playoff berths each season and compiling an 83-46-15 record.

A Calgary, Alberta native, Schneekloth enjoyed a 12-season professional playing career, highlighted by an NCAA championship with the University of North Dakota in 2000.

Like Schneekloth, Taylor, 53, jumped into coaching immediately after retiring with the team he concluded his playing days with.

Taylor was a second-round pick of the New York Islanders in 1990 and appeared in 149 career games at the NHL level with the Islanders, Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres. He appeared in 470 games with the Rochester Americans – Buffalo's AHL affiliate – and joined the club as a development coach after retiring in 2011.

He served as an assistant for Rochester and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL before being named as the Americans head coach in 2017. He led the Americans to a 116-65-33 record in three seasons before being let go at the end of the 2019-20 season. He joined the Devils under head coach Lindy Ruff in 2020 and remained with the staff when Sheldon Keefe was hired prior to last season.

Taylor is a native of Stratford, Ontario.

Zulianello, 46, has spent the last three seasons with the Firebirds working under Bylsma and Derek Laxdal. He's worked with both Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer with Coachella Valley, and helped nurture top goaltender prospect Nikke Kokko last season with the Firebirds. Daccord worked closely with Zulianello during his time with Coachella Valley before his full-time NHL promotion, while Grubauer got the chance to work with him after his demotion to the AHL last season.

Zulianello's playing career includes 122 ECHL appearances and four AHL games, alongside four years of college hockey at Colorado College. He's a native of Thunder Bay, Ontario.

The Source: Information in this story came from the Seattle Kraken and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.