ECHL: Greensboro Gargoyles Move on from Scott Burt

Scott Burt joined the Gargoyles before their inaugural season, where he had to establish a staff and a roster from scratch. Burt was a player-oriented coach for the Gargoyles who was focused on building a culture in the locker room. At the trade deadline, the Gargoyles were at the bottom of the league and were forced to become heavy sellers, and shipped off nearly all of their production in exchange for future considerations. The end of the season was extremely tough and was a full youth movement. The Greensboro Gargoyles also announced that they will be conducting a full coaching search immediately.

Analysis

Scott Burt had a rough year with the Gargoyles and was never really able to gain much momentum throughout the season. With no NHL goaltending prospect in net to start the season, Logan Nelson going down with an injury early, and then having to become sellers, it was always going to be a monumental challenge. The Gargoyles didn’t wait long after the conclusion of their season to move on. While the season did not go the way the fans, staff, or ownership wanted, it is mildly surprising to see the franchise not give a second season to the inaugural coach.

The move sends a message that the ownership group is here to win and takes results extremely seriously. The next coach of the Gargoyles will likely be on a short leash as well and will need to produce immediately to stay. Fans can expect a new head coach to be announced in the near future.