Hurricanes, Mike Vellucci agree to part ways

Jacob Kupferman/Charlotte Checkers The Carolina Hurricanes and Charlotte Checkers head coach Mike Vellucci, who also served as an assistant general manager for the club, have mutually agreed to part ways, the team announced on Friday.

Vellucci, who coached the Checkers to the Calder Cup championship in 2019, joined the Hurricanes in 2014 as an assistant GM and director of hockey operations soon after former general manager Ron Francis was hired. He had previously been the head coach and general manager of the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers for 13 years, also owned at the time by then-Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos.

After the Checkers had cycled through two coaches in as many years, with first Mark…