TRENT CULL WELCOMED TO UTICA

Earlier today the Vancouver Canucks announced Trent Cull as the man to lead the Utica Comets into the fifth season. Cull played ten seasons of professional hockey and most recently completed a memorable season with the Syracuse Crunch as the assistant behind Benoit Groulx.

Travis Green, head coach of the Utica Comets for the first four years, will begin the 2017-18 season as the head coach for the Vancouver Canucks. Nolan Baumgartner will remain along his side as an assistant coach and Jason King will return as an assistant to Cull.

Following Cull’s playing career, the Georgetown, Ontario, native made his professional coaching debut as an assistant with the Guelph Storm in 2004-05 and 2005-06. Cull played 614 games as a defenseman in the AHL and IHL totaling 107 points (28-79-107) and 1,615 penalty minutes. The blueliner finished his playing career as a member of the Syracuse Crunch during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons.

He has been with the Syracuse Crunch since 2013 as an assistant coach seeing Calder Cup Playoffs three times and the Calder Cup Finals in 2017.

“My goal is to have a great and competitive hockey team and develop players for the Vancouver Canucks,” said Coach Trent Cull. “The details of the game and how you move on to win is a bit of a different animal in the playoffs. You have to do a lot of homework throughout the season and there are a variety of things I can take from the Crunch’s Calder Cup Run and bring here to Utica.”

Utica Comets President Robert Esche had the opportunity to play with Trent Cull at the Phoenix Coyotes camp. The two were in the Coyotes system together in the 1999-2000 season.

“I was very fortunate to have played with both coaches, Travis Green and Trent Cull,” said Esche. “I feel that Trent’s character and vision will resonate with both his team and Comets fans while strengthening the hockey culture in our area.”

“I’m extremely excited to meet our new coach, Trent Cull. It is fantastic to add his experience from last season’s championship run to our young team,” Carter Bancks commented. “He comes in with a great amount of AHL experience both as a player and a coach. He is a fantastic addition to the organization and I can’t wait to start this new season with him behind the bench.”

Cull’s wife and three sons will also be joining him in Utica this season.