The St. Louis Blues today announced the hiring of Greg Cronin and Vaclav “Vinny” Prospal as assistant coaches through the 2026-27 season.
In addition, Elliott Mondou was promoted from video coach to assistant general manager under Alexander Steen, and Jeremy Coupal signed a multi-year contract to join the Blues as video assistant coach.
The additions of Cronin, Prospal and Kupal round out head coach Jim Montgomery’s coaching staff for the 2026-27 season. David Alexander returns as director of goaltending and Ryan Stacy serves as video coordinator.
“Greg, Vinny and Jeremy represent the elite coaching talent of the St. Louis Blues organization,” Montgomery said. “Greg is a skilled defensive habits and penalty kill coach with experience as a head coach and assistant that will benefit our veterans and young elite alike; Vinny brings a creative offensive mind honed through his success as a power play and five-on-five player, providing valuable expertise to our forward group and power play. Jeremy is a high-end video coach who we are fortunate to bring back to the NHL with his unique skills and knowledge.”
Cronin, 63, served as head coach of the AHL’s Iowa Wild last season and posted a 27-36-9 record. The Arlington, Mass., native’s coaching career stretches back nearly 40 years and includes stints as an assistant and head coach in the NHL, AHL and NCAA. Cronin served as an assistant coach with the New York Islanders (1999-03, 2014-18) and Toronto Maple Leafs (2011-14), and most recently served as head coach of the Anaheim Ducks (2023-25). In the AHL, he served as head coach of the Colorado Eagles for five seasons (2018-23), leading the team to the playoffs four times. He also served as head coach of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers for two seasons (2003-05). In college, Cronin served as the head coach at Northeastern University for six years (2005-11) and two seasons at the University of Maine (1995-97). He also held assistant positions at Maine, Colorado College and Colby College. Cronin has a long-standing relationship with the United States Development Program (USNTDP) and has competed as a staff member on Team USA at multiple international championships, including four World Championships (1997, 1999, 2011, 2012) and two World Youth Championships (1997, 1998).
Prospal, 51, spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, helping the team qualify for the playoffs each season while posting a 112-76-28 regular season record. As a player, the České Budejovice native had a 16-year career that ranked sixth among Czech-born players in NHL history with 1,108 games played and seventh with 765 career points. Prospal also represented the Czech team in several international events, including the 2006 Winter Olympics, where he led the team to a bronze medal, and the 2000 and 2005 World Championships, where he led the team to gold medals.
Kupal, 37, has served as Team Canada’s video coach for the past few seasons, including most recently at the 2025 and 2026 Spengler Cups. Prior to joining Hockey Canada, the Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., native spent seven seasons as video coach with the Edmonton Oilers and three seasons as video coordinator with the Nashville Predators.
