Fresno Falcons name Iain Duncan as first head coach in 17 years
Iain Duncan, a former Winnipeg Jets draft pick and NHL All-Rookie Team pick, will lead Fresno’s hockey return at Selland Arena after a 17-year gap.
The Fresno Falcons have put a veteran hockey name behind their comeback, hiring Iain Duncan as the franchise’s first head coach in more than 17 years. The move gives the club an NHL-tested voice as it prepares to return to Selland Arena in October 2026.
Duncan arrives with credentials that should carry weight with skeptical Fresno fans. He was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft as a seventh-round pick, 129th overall, and was born Aug. 4, 1963, in Toronto, Ontario. In the 1987-88 season, Duncan posted 19 goals and 23 assists in 62 NHL games and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 1988.
His path to Fresno also includes the grind of the minors and the bench. After his NHL run, Duncan spent eight seasons in the minors before moving into coaching, and other background on his career describes him as an 11-year professional veteran and an NCAA national champion at Bowling Green State University. He also coached in the Federal Prospects Hockey League, the same league the Falcons will enter for their inaugural season.
Duncan said he was drawn to Fresno in part because the organization handles the practical details that matter to players, including hotels, meals and rink conditions. That kind of player-first setup is a key part of any minor-league operation, where trust and daily logistics often decide whether a roster feels stable or disposable. He also said he wants to bring championships back to Fresno and described the city as one that has gone too long without hockey.
The Falcons’ return was announced in May 2026, after a 17-year absence from downtown Fresno. The team is slated to begin a five-year run in the Federal Prospects Hockey League, with a 56-game schedule that includes 28 home games at Selland Arena. The club also listed Luke Curtin as assistant coach as it began assembling the staff around Duncan.
The comeback carries added weight because the old Fresno Falcons last played in the ECHL in 2008-09 before folding. The franchise’s roots go back to a 1946 Pacific Coast Hockey League team first called the Fresno Flyers, later the Fresno Aces in the 1968-69 season, before becoming the Falcons. Duncan’s hiring suggests the new version is aiming for more than nostalgia, with a coach whose résumé is meant to help the franchise build credibility from its first shift back on the ice.
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