The Nelson Leafs have fired head coach Briar McNaney just two months into the KIJHL season.
Nelson announced Monday evening it had parted ways with McNaney and promoted assistant coach Gianni Mangone to interim head coach.
The Leafs are 12-11-0, and on a three-game losing streak during which they've managed to score just four goals on 139 shots. They are currently third in the Neil Murdoch Division, and eight points back of both Beaver Valley and Grand Forks.
Leafs president Corey Viala declined to say what specific reasons led to the coaching change, but on-ice results were a factor.
“There's lots of time left in the season to change things and to hopefully continue on with some winning. I think we've had about five losses on the road to teams that we feel that we should be beating, or being competitive against.”
McNaney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He took over the team in January 2023 shortly after the Leafs fired former head coach Adam DiBella for his role in a line brawl that garnered national attention and led to the suspension of several players.
During the 2023-2024 campaign under McNaney in his first full season as head coach, the Leafs finished third in their division and were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round.
Prior to this season, McNaney changed his assistant coaches and took over the general manager role previously held by Lance Morey. But the team has struggled to find reliable goaltending, and its offence has relied on quantity over quality as of late.
Viala said no decision has been made on whether or not Mangone will see out the season as interim coach. The organization, he added, needs time to decide on its next coach.
“We just want to see a positive outcome moving forward, and we'll discuss further and try to figure out what we need to do next as a club to obtain some stability.”
