Ross Yates
Syracuse Crunch — Head Coach

Ross Yates returns to the Crunch for his eighth season and second as head coach. He served as the team's assistant coach from 2000-2006.

Yates guided the Crunch to a 34-34-4-8 record during his first season behind the bench.

Before joining the Crunch prior to the 2000-01 season, Yates spent more than a decade as a player and coach in Europe. Most recently he served as the head coach of Hamburg, a member of the German Bundesliga League. Yates has held four other head coaching positions in Europe in the 1990's, including stints in the German, Italian and Swiss Elite Leagues.

Yates, 47, began his playing career at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, where he was an All-Canadian selection in 1980. He signed a free agent contract with Hartford in 1981 and went on to spend four years with the Whalers' AHL affiliate in Binghamton, NY. His finest season came in 1982-83 when he tallied 41 goals and 84 assists for 125 points and was named the AHL Most Valuable Player and The Hockey News Minor League Player of the Year. He earned AHL All-Star honors the next year (1983-1984) and made his NHL debut with Hartford late in the season, collecting two points (1g, 1a) in seven games. He was selected to the Binghamton Hockey Hall of Fame during the 2002-03 season.

A native of Montreal, PQ, Yates signed with Manheim of the German Elite League in 1984. Over the next eight years, he suited up for four different teams in Germany, Switzerland and Italy. In 1986, he also made a brief North American stop in Rochester (AHL), playing 22 games, recording four goals and eight assists.

He is the fourth head coach in Crunch history (Jack McIlhargey, 1994 - 1999, Stan Smyl, 1999-00 and Gary Agnew 2000 - 2006).

Yates and his wife Laurie, have three children Jennifer (19), Patrick (16) and Trevor (12).

Trent Cull
Syracuse Crunch — Assistant Coach

Trent Cull returns to the Crunch for his second season in the role of Assistant Coach.

Trent finished his playing days as a member of the Syracuse Crunch between 2002-04, appearing in 98 games, tallying 2 goals, 15 assists and 261 penalty minutes. A native of Georgetown, Ontario, Cull, 33 appeared in 435 career AHL games with St. John's, Springfield, Wilkes-Barre, Houston and Syracuse, registering 20 goals, 50 assists and 1,049 penalty minutes.

Originally signed as a free agent by Toronto on June 4, 1994, Cull's best professional season was in 2000-01 as a member of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, when he netted 11 goals, 26 points and 166 penalty minutes. He was a member of the Houston Aeros team that won the Turner Cup (IHL) in 1999-00 and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton team that went to the Calder Cup Finals in 2000-01.

He is the sixth assistant coach in Crunch history (Curt Fraser 1994-95, Ted Sator 1996-97, Glenn Patrick 1997 - 99, Barry Smith 1999-00 and Ross Yates 2000 - 06).

Cull and his wife Marcia, have two children, Gabriel (3) and Wyatt (1).