There was plenty of buzz when the Edmonton Oilers fired head coach Dave Tippett and replaced him with Jay Woodcroft from the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Bakersfield Condors, and the din only grew as the Oilers started 5-0 under their new bench boss.
Related: 5 Things to Know About New Oilers Head Coach Jay Woodcroft
All the excitement about Woodcroft taking charge in Edmonton made it easy to overlook the resultant coaching vacancy in Bakersfield, where the coach has spent the last three and a half years preparing young players for the NHL. Only now that things have settled down, is this suddenly dawning on Oilers fans, who might sound a bit like panicked parents asking, “wait a minute — who’s taking care of the kids?”
The answer is Colin Chaulk, who was named Bakersfield’s interim head coach on Feb. 11, and is now responsible for the development of the Oilers’ top prospects on their AHL affiliate club.
Chaulk is not well-known in Oil Country; the 45-year-old only joined the organization in September when the Condors named him assistant coach and has since gone about his business in the relative anonymity of minor pro hockey. Suffice to say, there is a bit of mystery and lots of curiosity about he who now runs the bench in Bakersfield. Here are five things to know about Chaulk.
He Led the Way in Major Junior
Chaulk played four seasons, 1994-95 to 1997-98, in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Kingston Frontenacs, and served as captain in his final season. The 6-foot forward led Kingston in points for three consecutive seasons, starting in 1995-96, and in 1997-98 finished fifth in the OHL with a career-high 96 points (34 goals and 62 assists).
Overall, Chaulk racked up 91 goals and 177 assists for 268 points in 233 regular-season games with the Frontenacs. When his major junior career concluded in 1998, Chaulk sat in second and third place, respectively, on the team’s all-time leader lists for assists and points, and nearly a quarter-century later he still ranks in the top five in both categories.
In 2020, Chaulk began a new chapter with his old junior club, taking a role on the Frontenacs’ scouting staff as Greater Toronto Hockey League area scout.
He Had a Long Pro Career
Though his NHL experience didn’t extend beyond training camp, Chaulk carved out a 15-year career in minor pro hockey, playing over 1,000 games combined between the regular season and postseason with 12 different teams in eight separate leagues.
Chaulk’s hockey passport is stamped by the AHL (Adirondack Red Wings, Grand Rapids Griffins), Central Hockey League (CHL) (Fort Wayne Komets), ECHL (Jacksonville Lizard Kings, Tallahassee Tiger Sharks, Wheeling Nailers), International Hockey League (IHL) (Utah Grizzlies, Kansas City Blades), United Hockey League (UHL) (Missouri River Otters), West Coast Hockey League (Colorado Gold Kings), Western Professional Hockey League (Austin Ice Bats) and Serie A in Italy (HC Alleghe).
His Number Hangs in the Rafters
Chaulk rarely lasted even a full season in any one spot, with the notable exception of Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he spent 10 years with the Komets, sticking with the franchise as it moved from the UHL to the IHL to the CHL and finally, its current league, the ECHL. His impact in Indiana was so great that the Komets honoured their former captain by retiring his No. 91 during a ceremony on Feb. 17, 2017.
His time in Fort Wayne spanned 2002-03 to 2005-06, and 2007-08 to 2012-13. Across all leagues with the Komets, Chaulk totaled 684 points in 588 regular-season games, and added another 102 points in 99 playoff contests.
As a member of the Komets, Chaulk won five league championships (three in the IHL, one each in the CHL and UHL) and was named team MVP on five occasions. He received the IHL’s Outstanding Defensive Forward of the Year award in 2009-10, was a three-time UHL Best Defensive Forward winner and a four-time UHL All-Star.
After hanging up his skates midway through the 2012-13 schedule, Chaulk served the rest of the season as an assistant on Fort Wayne’s coaching staff.
He’s Been a Head Coach Before
Chaulk cut his coaching teeth for two more seasons, 2013-14 and 2014-15, as an assistant in the ECHL with the Kalamazoo Wings, before getting his first job as a head coach with the ECHL’s Brampton Beast. He spent four seasons, 2015-16 to 2018-19, in Brampton, also serving as VP of Hockey Operations, compiling a 127-125-36 record in the regular season and taking the Beast to the playoffs twice.
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The Toronto native spent 2019-20 as an assistant coach in the AHL with the Belleville Senators, helping the Ottawa Senators’ affiliate to a 38-20-4-1 record and the North Division title.
His Specialty is Forwards
On Sept. 3, 2021, Chaulk was hired as an assistant coach in Bakersfield to work primarily with the Condors’ forward group. Four forwards — Seth Griffith, Cooper Marody, Ryan McLeod, and Brendan Perlini — have been recalled from Bakersfield to Edmonton at various points this season.
Chaulk, who was mostly used at center during his playing career, has a history working with forwards. Through his Hockey House program, he has instructed the likes of Florida Panthers draft pick Karch Bachman, a left winger currently with the AHL’s Charlottesville Checkers. In Belleville, Chaulk coached many of the gifted young forwards now making an impact in Ottawa, including Drake Batherson, Alex Formenton, and Josh Norris.
Through Chaulk’s first six games behind Bakersfield’s bench, the Condors are 2-3-1. They’re next in action tonight (Feb. 23) on the road against the San Jose Barracuda.
