ECHL’s New Mexico Goatheads Name Zack Stortini Head Coach

TUCSON, AZ – The New Mexico Goatheads, ECHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL) and Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League (AHL), announced Saturday that Tucson Roadrunners assistant coach Zack Stortini has been named the franchise’s first head coach ahead of the club’s inaugural season.

Stortini, 40, joined the Roadrunners as an assistant coach in August 2022. The Elliot Lake, Ontario native helped guide Tucson to a 141-116-26-5 regular-season record during his tenure, along with three postseason appearances in four seasons.

Prior to his time in Tucson, Stortini served as an assistant coach with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 2019-22.

He transitioned into coaching following a 14-year professional playing career that spanned 858 games, including 257 in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers and Nashville Predators, and 601 in the AHL, where he made three trips to the Calder Cup Finals and captured two championships with the Charlotte Checkers (2019) and Hamilton Bulldogs (2007) after being selected by Edmonton in the third round (94th overall) of the 2003 NHL Draft.

The Goatheads are an ECHL expansion franchise that will begin play in 2026-27 at the Rio Rancho Events Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The league awarded an expansion franchise to Rio Rancho in May 2025, becoming the ECHL’s 31^st member, and the organization unveiled its team name in September 2025 ahead of its inaugural season.