Eagles release coach and manager: Eakins takes over
Adler Mannheim have reacted to the sporting downturn in the German Ice Hockey League (DEL). Coach Johan Lundskog, his assistant Jeff Hill and sporting director Jan-Axel Alavaara were released on Monday, as the club announced. "Developments over the last few weeks have forced us to reflect and then act. I am convinced that we will get back on the road to success with a new impetus at the sporting management level," said club boss Daniel Hopp.
The Eagles presented Dallas Eakins as his successor, who will take over the positions of head coach and sporting director at the same time. For the past four seasons, the American-born coach has been the coach of the Anaheim Ducks in the North American professional league NHL.
The eight-time champions, who had set their sights on the title, had slipped to eighth place in the table. In the Champions League, the Eagles were knocked out in the round of 16 by the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers from Switzerland despite a strong regular season.
Lundskog came to Mannheim before this season. However, the Swede was rarely able to call on a full squad due to injury. Recently, good results have increasingly failed to materialize. Sports manager Alavaara, who had been with the Eagles since 2018, only extended his contract until 2026 in October.
Despite the Eagles' slip to eighth place in the German Ice Hockey League, their ambitious title aspirations were dashed in the Champions League's round of 16, the team decided to make changes in their management. Dallas Eakins, known for his coaching stint with the Anaheim Ducks in the NHL, will now lead Adler Mannheim as both head coach and sporting director, replacing Johan Lundskog and Jeff Hill.
Source: www.dpa.com
