Yeo tapped to lead Wild

HOUSTON – Even as a teenager, Mike Yeo knew he wanted to be a hockey coach, and after 11 years coaching in the AHL and NHL, he’s reached the pinnacle of his profession. The Minnesota Wild introduced Yeo Friday morning as the team’s new head coach, and in doing so, he becomes the youngest head coach in the NHL. Yeo, 37, most recently led the Wild’s AHL affiliate, the Houston Aeros, to the Calder Cup finals, falling two games short of the championship. Questions surrounding Yeo’s youth have dominated discussions around the Wild’s decision to hire him. Not only because Yeo is young, but because his predecessor, Todd Richards, was also pulled from the ranks of less experienced AHL coaches. Richards’ lack of experience and ensuing lack of success in his two years as head coach of the Wild led many to anticipate the Wild would hire someone with extensive NHL head coaching experience. But Wild GM Chuck Fletcher said he feels he hired the best candidate available, despite reports Craig MacTavish was the front-runner for the job. Fletcher has known Yeo from their days with the Pittsburgh Penguins where Fletcher was assistant GM and Yeo was an assistant coach. “He is a knowledgeable and technically sound hockey coach, but even more importantly, he’s a straight shooter who will hold players accountable for their actions both on and off the ice,” said Fletcher. “He’s a tireless worker who communicates well, and he’s demonstrated an ability to get the players to buy in to what he is teaching.” The Aeros’ deep playoff push might have been Yeo’s best audition of all, as Fletcher said he liked what Yeo was getting out of the team. “The more I went through the process (of choosing a coach), the longer I watched Houston play and their attention to detail and the way they played night in and night out, knowing what I was looking for in a coach it just became more apparent the longer the process went that Mike was the guy.” Yeo, who won the Stanley Cup as an assistant coach in 2009 with the Penguins, downplayed the concerns that his youth might be a factor in the new role and suggested that it might even be a benefit to his approach to communicating with players. “You’re looking to become teammates with these guys. I don’t want to be a coach and they’re the players,” said Yeo. “We’re going to go  war together here.” Aggressive, physical, detailed, structured, and smart are the words Yeo said he hopes define the Wild going forward. He wants them to be a team other teams find it tough to play against. “I was very fortunate to be on some championship teams,“ said Yeo. “The biggest thing that I took from that was the standards that they set for themselves. Their expectations of what’s acceptable for themselves, their teammates, and how they hold themselves and each other accountable.” “It’s my goal to raise our standards, our expectations, to that level and I can’t wait to get started.” Contact Heather.Galindo@prohockeynews.com