A day after announcing Trent Vogelhuber’s promotion from AHL Cleveland head coach to NHL assistant, the Blue Jackets are adding veteran Don Granato to coach Rick Bowness’ staff.
According to The Athletic, Granato has been hired by Blue Jackets president/general manager Don Waddell. Granato, 58, is expected to coordinate the power play and work with forwards, while Vogelhuber, 37, coordinates the penalty kill and works with defensemen.
Granato’s most recent coaching experience was as head coach for the U.S. men’s team at the 2026 world championships.
That was his return to the bench after being fired by the Buffalo Sabres in 2024, ending a stint that covered parts of four seasons in which the team went 122-125-27. Granato’s time in Buffalo led to his first NHL head coaching opportunity. The Sabres had added him in 2019 as an NHL assistant.
Granto, who’s from Downer’s Grove, Illinois, also spent two years (2017-19) as a bench assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks, and he brings experience as a head coach at the AHL and junior levels (USHL). Granato spent one season as an assistant coach for the University of Wisconsin (2016-17), where he played for four seasons.
Granato also has a long history working with the U.S. National Team Development Program’s national teams, and comes from a long lineage of U.S. hockey players that includes his brothers Tony and Rob Granato, and sister Cammi Granato, an eight-time captain of U.S. women’s national teams who’s now in her fifth season as a Vancouver Canucks assistant general manager.
All three Granato brothers played at Wisconsin, while Cammi played at Providence College. She’s married to former NHL forward Ray Ferraro, a lead analyst for ESPN’s TV broadcasts.
Don Granato played two seasons professionally in the ECHL (1991-93) with the Columbus Chill, so he’s familiar with the area.
Dispatch Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets plan to hire Don Granato as NHL assistant coach
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