Derek Lalonde enters his first season as head coach of the Red Wings. The 49-year-old was named the 28th head coach in franchise history on June 30, 2022 after spending the previous four seasons as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
During his tenure with the Lightning, Lalonde helped the club to four consecutive postseason appearances (2019-22), highlighted by back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021. The Lightning also won three-straight Prince of Wales Trophies from 2020-22 and became the first franchise to reach the Stanley Cup Final in three successive campaigns since the 1983-85 Edmonton Oilers. Additionally, Tampa Bay joined the Montreal Canadiens (1976-80) and the New York Islanders (1980-84) as the only teams in NHL history to record at least 11-straight playoff series victories. In all, Tampa Bay compiled a 192-77-10 regular-season record and a 46-26 postseason mark with Lalonde on its coaching staff.
In Lalonde's inaugural campaign behind an NHL bench in 2018-19, the Lightning clinched the Atlantic Division title, a regular-season Eastern Conference championship and their first Presidents' Trophy after accumulating a franchise-record 128 points (62-16-4) while tying the NHL's single-season record for wins set by the 1995-96 Red Wings. He was hired as an assistant coach by the Lightning on July 12, 2018, when Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman served as the Lightning's vice president and general manager. Lalonde was previously a coach at Tampa Bay's development camp in 2013.
Prior to his time with the Lightning, Lalonde worked for two seasons as head coach of the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild from 2016-18, posting a 69-58-17-8 record with the Minnesota Wild's primary affiliate. Lalonde became the first coach in franchise history to produce a winning season with a 36-31-7-2 mark during his first campaign in 2016-17, a 22-point upgrade over the previous year.
Lalonde, a native of Brasher Falls, N.Y., spent two seasons in the Red Wings' organization as head coach of the ECHL's Toledo Walleye from 2014-16, guiding the team to a 97-35-7-5 record in that span. During his first season in 2014-15, Lalonde led the Walleye to a 50-15-5-2 mark, claiming the Brabham Cup as the ECHL's regular-season champion. In recognition of his success, Lalonde won the John Brophy Award the ECHL's Coach of the Year after engineering a 58-point improvement from the previous campaign, which remains the largest in league history.
Lalonde began his head coaching career with the United States Hockey League's Green Bay Gamblers, accumulating a record of 114-56-8-6 as head coach and general manager from 2011-14. He was named the USHL's Coach of the Year in 2011-12 after the Gamblers recorded a 47-9-2-2 mark and captured the organization's fourth Clark Cup title. On the international stage, Lalonde coached the United States to a gold medal at the 2013 World Junior A Challenge, and also won gold as an assistant coach at the 2012 tournament.
Before making his head coaching debut, Lalonde was an assistant coach at the University of Denver from 2006-11, helping the Pioneers to a 122-63-19 record and two Western Collegiate Hockey Association titles in 2008 and 2010, in addition to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. He also served as an assistant coach at Ferris State University from 2002-06 after working at the Division III level with Hamilton College from 2000-02 and Lebanon Valley College from 1998-00. Lalonde started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (formerly North Adams State College) from 1995-98, where he earned a Master's degree in education administration.
A goaltender in his playing days, Lalonde spent his collegiate career in the Division III ranks with SUNY Cortland, appearing in 41 games for the Red Dragons from 1991-95.