Walleye coach Derek Lalonde will become the next coach of the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League, The Blade has learned.
The official announcement is expected to be made early next week, according to a source.
Lalonde led Toledo to a 97-35-12 record in his two seasons. He guided the Walleye to back-to-back ECHL Eastern Conference and North Division regular-season championships.
Lalonde, 43, became a hot coaching commodity last summer after he was named ECHL coach of the year. In his first season with Toledo in 2014-15, Lalonde led the Walleye to a 50-15-7 record and the Brabham Cup as the regular-season champions.
Lalonde then guided the Walleye to a second consecutive playoff berth and a 47-20-5 record this past season.
The native of Brasher Falls, N.Y., will move up to the AHL with the team based in Des Moines.
Walleye officials and Lalonde were unavailable for comment Saturday.
The Iowa Wild had hired David Cunniff as the team’s interim coach in February. Cunniff was named the third coach in franchise history, replacing John Torchetti, who was promoted to the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.
The Detroit Red Wings hired Torchetti earlier this month as an assistant coach.
Last summer, Lalonde interviewed with the Grand Rapids Griffins and San Diego Gulls of the AHL.
Before coming to Toledo, Lalonde spent three seasons as head coach of the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League.
In 2011-12, he led the club to a 47-9-4 record and the league title.
Lalonde also coached the United States World Junior U-19 team, which captured a Gold Medal in 2013.
Upon his hiring in Toledo, Lalonde, a former goaltender, promised to “build a culture of success.”
The franchise had made the playoffs just twice in five seasons and was coming off one of the worst seasons in Toledo hockey history — a 21-44-7 record.
In his first season, Lalonde led the Walleye to a remarkable turnaround, posting the best single-season turnaround in league history — a 58-point improvement.
The Walleye were the first ECHL team since 2007-08 to win at least 50 games in a season. Toledo also reached the conference finals of the Kelly Cup playoffs and set 44 team records. The Walleye earned 107 points to capture the Brabham Cup as regular-season champions.
The team finished with a .743 winning percentage, which equaled the top Storm team’s season in 1995-96. That success led to various NHL teams contacting Lalonde about vacant head coaching positions in the AHL.
Toledo earned the No. 1 seed in the Kelly Cup playoffs this season but were bounced in the first round by the Reading Royals.
In the 2015 postseason, the team scripted a memorable playoff run that included three Game 7s. Nine of the 21 postseason games were decided in overtime.
In the Eastern Conference finals against South Carolina, the Walleye were only the third team in ECHL history to dig out of an 0-3 hole in a series to force a Game 7.
Lalonde assembled rosters filled with players that had been either captains or assistant captains. He built his team based on speed and skill. His teams were creative and fast in transition, moving the puck quickly to attack.
But Toledo also was disciplined and stingy under Lalonde, finishing last in penalty minutes in his two seasons.
Lalonde takes over an Iowa team that finished with the fewest points in the AHL last season. The Wild went 24-41-11 and was last in the Western Conference.
Contact Mark Monroe at: mmonroe@theblade.com, 419-724-6354 or on Twitter @MonroeBlade.
First Published June 19, 2016, 5:32 a.m.
