Trent Cull Explained

Trent Cull
Played For:AHL
St. John's Maple Leafs
Springfield Falcons
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Houston Aeros
Syracuse Crunch
CoHL
Brantford Smoke
IHL
Houston Aeros
Position:Defence
Shoots:Left
Height Ft:6
Height In:2
Weight Lb:209
Birth Date:27 September 1973
Birth Place:Georgetown, Ontario, Canada
Draft:Undrafted
Career Start:1994
Career End:2004
Career Start Coach:2004

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.

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]

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

Team League GP GPG A Pts PIM
1988–89Georgetown RaidersCOJHL36 1 5 6 51
1989–90Owen Sound PlatersOHL57 0 5 5 5312 0 2 2 11
1990–91Owen Sound PlatersOHL24 1 2 3 19
1990–91Windsor SpitfiresOHL33 1 6 7 3411 0 0 0 8
1991–92Windsor SpitfiresOHL32 0 6 6 66
1991–92Kingston FrontenacsOHL18 0 0 0 31
1992–93Kingston FrontenacsOHL60 11 28 39 14416 2 8 10 37
1993–94Kingston FrontenacsOHL50 2 30 32 1476 0 1 1 6
1994–95Brantford SmokeCoHL4 0 0 0 14
1994–95St. John's Maple LeafsAHL43 0 1 1 53
1995–96St. John's Maple LeafsAHL46 2 1 3 1184 0 0 0 6
1996–97St. John's Maple LeafsAHL75 4 5 9 2198 0 1 1 18
1997–98Houston AerosIHL72 4 8 12 2014 0 0 0 4
1998–99Houston AerosIHL72 2 14 16 23219 0 2 2 34
1999–00Springfield FalconsAHL28 0 2 2 74
1999–00Houston AerosIHL35 2 7 9 1335 0 0 0 24
2000–01Wilkes-Barre/Scranton PenguinsAHL71 11 15 26 16621 3 2 5 28
2001–02Houston AerosAHL74 1 11 12 15812 0 2 2 8
2002–03Syracuse CrunchAHL40 0 8 8 115
2003–04Syracuse CrunchAHL58 2 7 9 1465 1 0 1 16
AHL totals4352050701,0495045976

Coaching record

AHL

Team Season Regular season Post season
G W L T OTL/SOL Pts Finish Result
Utica Comets2017–1876382612884th, NorthLost in round 1
Utica Comets2018–197634348766th, NorthMissed playoffs
Utica Comets2019–206134225733rd, NorthSeason cancelled
Utica Comets2020–212816111334th, NorthNo playoffs were held
Abbotsford Canucks2021–226839236844th, PacificLost in qualifying round

Notes and References

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