Rampage announce coaching change

Phoenix Coyotes assistant general manager Brad Treliving announced today that the club has relieved Greg Ireland of his head coaching duties with the San Antonio Rampage, the Coyotes’ American Hockey League affiliate, effective immediately.

Assistant coach Ray Edwards will now serve as the team’s interim head coach. Edwards is in his third season as a member of the Rampage coaching staff. Prior to joining the Rampage, Edwards coached in the Central Hockey League (CHL) and East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) for seven seasons, earning CHL Coach of the Year honors in 2004 with San Angelo.

Edwards began his coaching career at the age of 28 with the ECHL’s Huntington Blizzard in 1998. He also appeared in 309 career ECHL games as a player from 1991-98.

It was also announced that Mike Pelino will join the Rampage as assistant coach. Pelino spent five years as an assistant coach with the New York Rangers from 2004-09 and was an assistant coach with the Florida Panthers during the 2003-04 season. Prior to that, Pelino served as a coach for Hockey Canada at various levels of international competition and captured 11 gold medals, most notably as an assistant coach at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

A native of Welland, Ont., Pelino has also been an assistant coach with the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (1997-99).