Golden Knights hire Mark Letestu as assistant coach

A notable name is stepping behind the bench in the NHL.

On Tuesday, Vegas Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon announced that the team has hired former NHLer Mark Letestu as the team’s new assistant coach.

Letestu joins a revamped staff in Sin City, working under new head coach Ryan Craig, who was recently promoted from the Golden Knights’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights.

Letestu also came from the AHL, having served as the head coach of the Colorado Eagles, the Colorado Avalanche’s primary affiliate, during the 2025-26 season. In his one year on the job, he led the Eagles to a 41-20-11 record, finishing second in the Pacific Division. Under his guidance, Colorado advanced to the Western Conference Final, ultimately losing to the Chicago Wolves.

Before that, Letestu was an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets‘ top farm team, the Cleveland Monsters, for four years. The team made it to the Calder Cup Playoffs twice, finishing atop the North Division in 2023-24, the same year the team made it to the Eastern Conference Final.

The Elk Point, Alb. native’s coaching career came after 11 seasons in the NHL. He broke into the league during the 2009-10 season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, spending three years with the team before being traded to the Blue Jackets in November 2011. Letestu would play three full seasons in Columbus before signing with the Edmonton Oilers as a free agent in July 2015. After a couple of years, he was traded back to the Blue Jackets as part of a three-team deal with the Nashville Predators ahead of the 2017-18 trade deadline. Letestu’s last board of call came during the 2019-20 season, when he appeared in seven games with the Winnipeg Jets.

In 567 regular-season games, Letestu scored 93 goals and 117 assists for 210 points, with 15 points in 36 Stanley Cup Playoff games.