Kurt Kleinendorst will take over the reins at Bolzano. © Instagram/iserlohnroosters_official

Coaching mystery solved: He now has the say in Bolzano

Glen Hanlon's successor comes from the USA – and has NHL experience. HC Bolzano announced its new head coach on Friday morning.

02 May 2025

From: do

It was at the beginning of April that HCB Südtirol announced that Glen Hanlon would no longer be on the Foxes' coaching bench next season. After the Canadian led the team to the final in his debut season in Bolzano (2022/23), they were eliminated in the semifinals in both subsequent seasons – always against Salzburg. After that, they parted ways. Thus, at the end of the season, a huge hole remained at the top of the Bolzano team, which the club has now filled.

The reins as head coach will once again be taken over by a man from overseas, but this time he comes from the USA, namely from Grand Rapids in Minnesota. Kurt Kleinendorst will take over at Bolzano. He brings with him not only a distinguished career as a player, but also considerable expertise as a coach.

He was most recently playing in Germany's DEL. © Instagram/iserlohnroosters_official

The 64-year-old was drafted 1980th overall by the New York Rangers in 77, but the American never made it to the NHL as a player. In addition to several stints in America's lower leagues, Kleinendorst also played in Iserlohn and Ingolstadt in the DEL and in Peliitat Heinola in Finland.

Lots of DEL experience

It was only as a coach that the American truly began to attract attention. He began his off-ice career in 1991, serving as an assistant coach with the San Diego Gulls in the AHL, a role he later held with the New Jersey Devils (2001/02). Kleinendorst moved across the pond to Europe in 2015, where he took over as head coach at Ingolstadt. He then held stints in Nuremberg and Iserlohn, but in each of his last two seasons (21/22 and 22/23), he was forced to resign mid-season. Most recently, he took a break of more than two years.

Fabio Armani stays in Bolzano. © HCB Südtirol

Kleinendorst will have a familiar face at his side in the Bozen Sparkasse Arena. Fabio Armani, who previously served as Hanlon's assistant, will also assume his position under the new head coach. The 50-year-old will enter his seventh season on the Foxes' bench.