Trent Cull

Trent Cull
Cull with the Syracuse Crunch in 2017
Born (1973-09-27) September 27, 1973 (age 51)
Georgetown, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 209 lb (95 kg; 14 st 13 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for AHL
St. John's Maple Leafs
Springfield Falcons
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Houston Aeros
Syracuse Crunch
CoHL
Brantford Smoke
IHL
Houston Aeros
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 1994–2004
Coaching career 2004–present

Trent Cull (born September 27, 1973) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently serving as the head coach of the Calgary Wranglers of the American Hockey League (AHL). Previously, Cull served as an assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

Junior

During the 1988-89 season, Cull played for the Georgetown Raiders of the Central Ontario Junior C Hockey League (COJHL).[1] His play there earned him a spot in the major juniors for the 1989-90 season after being drafted 7th overall by the Guelph Platers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) during the 1989 draft.[2] The team would relocate to become the Owen Sound Platers before the start of the season. Cull would struggle to score during his time with the Platers, recording only a single goal and seven assists in 81 games with the team.[2] Midway through the 1990-91 season Cull requested a trade out of Owen Sound, claiming "the atmosphere" wasn't right, and was traded to the Windsor Spitfires.[3]

Cull would not spend long with the Spitfires, being traded right at the trade deadline of the 1991-92 season on January 10, 1992, to the Kingston Frontenacs along with a 6th-round draft pick for Rod Pasma and Gord Harris.[3]

Cull would spend the rest of his time in major junior with the Frontenacs, where he would begin to play a significantly more physical game, earning 322 penalty minutes in 128 games.

Professional

Prior to the 1993-94 NHL season, Cull was invited to the Boston Bruins training camp, but was not offered a contract.[4]

After aging out of the OHL, Cull started his professional career with the Brantford Smoke of the Colonial Hockey League (CoHL), where his play quickly earned him a spot with the St. John's Maple Leafs of the American Hockey League (AHL).

After three seasons with the Leafs, he would spend two and a half seasons with the Houston Aeros of the International Hockey League (IHL) before moving to the Springfield Falcons, where he would play alongside future Calgary coaching colleague Ryan Huska.[5]

Cull would spend the rest of his playing career in the AHL, spending time with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Houston Aeros (who had moved to the AHL following the IHL's folding in 2001),[6] and the Syracuse Crunch.[7]

Over the course of his ten-season professional career, Cull would score 32 goals, 118 points, and accrue 1767 penalty minutes.[5]

Coaching career

Following his playing career, Cull took up coaching to work as an AHL assistant coach with the Syracuse Crunch under Ross Yates from 2006 to 2010. He then accepted a head coaching position in the Ontario Hockey League with the Sudbury Wolves, where he remained for three seasons before returning to the Syracuse Crunch as an assistant coach with the 2013–14 season.[8] In 2017, he was named head coach of the Utica Comets by their NHL affiliate, the Vancouver Canucks.[9] He remained with the AHL team when it relocated as the Abbotsford Canucks in 2021.[10]

On July 1, 2022, Cull was named an assistant coach for the Vancouver Canucks,[11] where he would be fired in the middle of his first season along with head coach Bruce Boudreau.[12]

Cull represented the Pacific division as a coach at the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic.

On July 17, 2023, Cull was named the head coach of the Calgary Wranglers, the top AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames.[5] During the 2023–24 AHL season, due to the Wranglers position at the top of the Pacific division at the end of the calendar year, Cull was named as a coach for the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic.[13]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1988–89 Georgetown Raiders COJHL 36 1 5 6 51 — — — — —
1989–90 Owen Sound Platers OHL 57 0 5 5 53 12 0 2 2 11
1990–91 Owen Sound Platers OHL 24 1 2 3 19 — — — — —
1990–91 Windsor Spitfires OHL 33 1 6 7 34 11 0 0 0 8
1991–92 Windsor Spitfires OHL 32 0 6 6 66 — — — — —
1991–92 Kingston Frontenacs OHL 18 0 0 0 31 — — — — —
1992–93 Kingston Frontenacs OHL 60 11 28 39 144 16 2 8 10 37
1993–94 Kingston Frontenacs OHL 50 2 30 32 147 6 0 1 1 6
1994–95 Brantford Smoke CoHL 4 0 0 0 14 — — — — —
1994–95 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 43 0 1 1 53 — — — — —
1995–96 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 46 2 1 3 118 4 0 0 0 6
1996–97 St. John's Maple Leafs AHL 75 4 5 9 219 8 0 1 1 18
1997–98 Houston Aeros IHL 72 4 8 12 201 4 0 0 0 4
1998–99 Houston Aeros IHL 72 2 14 16 232 19 0 2 2 34
1999–00 Springfield Falcons AHL 28 0 2 2 74 — — — — —
1999–00 Houston Aeros IHL 35 2 7 9 133 5 0 0 0 24
2000–01 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 71 11 15 26 166 21 3 2 5 28
2001–02 Houston Aeros AHL 74 1 11 12 158 12 0 2 2 8
2002–03 Syracuse Crunch AHL 40 0 8 8 115 — — — — —
2003–04 Syracuse Crunch AHL 58 2 7 9 146 5 1 0 1 16
AHL totals 435 20 50 70 1,049 50 4 5 9 76

Coaching record

AHL

Team Season Regular season Post season
G W L T OTL/SOL Pts Finish Result
Utica Comets 2017–18 76 38 26 — 12 88 4th, North Lost in round 1
Utica Comets 2018–19 76 34 34 — 8 76 6th, North Missed playoffs
Utica Comets 2019–20 61 34 22 — 5 73 3rd, North Season cancelled
Utica Comets 2020–21 28 16 11 — 1 33 4th, North No playoffs were held
Abbotsford Canucks 2021–22 68 39 23 — 6 84 4th, Pacific Lost in qualifying round
Calgary Wranglers 2023–24 68 35 28 — 9 79 7th, Pacific Lost in Division Semifinals

References

  1. ^ Davis, Gord (September 1, 1989). "Platers open training camp with fitness testing". The Sun Times. p. B2.
  2. ^ a b Rivet, Christine (December 12, 1990). "Platers get O'Hagan in trade with Spits". The Sun Times. p. 14.
  3. ^ a b Graham, Doug (January 16, 1992). "Trade shock has almost worn off for newest Frontenac". The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 14.
  4. ^ "Transactions". New York Times. September 14, 1993. p. 16.
  5. ^ a b c Gilbertson, Wes (July 17, 2023). "Flames hire Trent Cull as head coach for AHL's Wranglers". Calgary Sun.
  6. ^ Yourk, Darren (May 11, 2001). "AHL, IHL to merge". The Globe and Mail.
  7. ^ Pike, Ryan (July 18, 2023). "New Calgary Wranglers head coach Trent Cull returns to his AHL roots". Flames Nation.
  8. ^ "Trent Cull returns to Syracuse Crunch as assistant coach". July 4, 2013.
  9. ^ "COMETS NAME CULL HEAD COACH". AHL. June 28, 2017.
  10. ^ "Former Utica Comets coaches Cull, Agnew officially among staff for new Canucks' AHL team". Utica Observer-Dispatch. July 16, 2021.
  11. ^ "Canucks add assistants Yeo, Cull to Boudreau's staff, Colliton takes over AHL team". Toronto Star. July 1, 2023.
  12. ^ Lypka, Ben (January 22, 2023). "First-ever Abbotsford Canucks head coach fired by Vancouver". The Hope Standard.
  13. ^ Gilbertson, Wes (January 10, 2024). "Flames prospects Coronato, Wolf selected to AHL all-star game". Calgary Herald.