Detroit Red Wings hire former NHL goaltender Michael Leighton as new goaltending coach

With the 2025-26 season marking the start of Todd McLellan's first full campaign behind the Red Wings bench, as well as John Gibson's in the crease, expectations are high in Detroit.

The organization decided to bring in some reinforcements to help the team achieve its goals for the next season.

In a new announcement, Detroit revealed that former NHL goalie Michael Leighton is joining the staff as goaltending coach to help McLellan get the team back to the playoffs for the first time in nine years:

Leighton, 44, spent the last three years as the Windsor Spitfires' goalie coach in the OHL, where he helped guide the team to back-to-back Western Conference title and a Champoionship win in 2022.

Originally drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1999, he had an 18-year career in the NHL, AHL, and KHL.

He notably played a crucial role in the Philadelphia Flyers' 2010 run to the Stanley Cup Final, tying an NHL record with three shutouts in a single playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens.

But it's in the AHL where Leighton's had the biggest impact, which led to his induction into the AHL Hall of Fame earlier this year. He owns the record for most shutouts in league history with 50, a 250-186-55 record, a 2.38 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage in 507 games.

With his experience and proven track record developing younger players, Leighton's addition could pay off for Detroit's prospects between the pipes such as Sebastian Cossa.

It'll also be interesting to see if the new coach will be able to bring the Red Wings' latest addition, the 31-year-old veteran John Gibson, to another level.