Kisio returns home with championship aspirations for the Rebels

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“It’s somewhere I consider home and where I spent a lot of my summers growing up in Sylvan Lake and the area around Red Deer with my family,” he said. “On top of that, the organization, Brent Sutter has been there for so long and how the organization has performed. It’s one organization I’ve always looked up to. It’s a really exciting challenge to come home and be a part of it.”

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The 43-year-old is the son of former NHLer Kelly Kisio, who’s from Wetaskiwin and had a storied hockey career that spanned 761 games in the NHL, including multiple years with the New York Rangers as their captain.

Even though Brent never made it to the NHL as a player, he’s had quite a journey throughout hockey.

He played three seasons for the AJHL’s Olds Grizzly’s from 1999 to 2002 before playing a season with the Vernon Vipers in the BCHL.

He then went to play four seasons of NCAA hockey for the University of Nebraska-Omaha before making the switch to coaching.

Out of university, he joined the Calgary Hitmen as an assistant coach, the same team his father was serving as general manager.

He spent eight seasons in Calgary, winning a WHL title in 2010 and appearing in the Memorial Cup.

Kisio then left the Hitmen to become the head coach of the Lethbridge Hurricanes in 2015 and spent eight seasons behind the bench.

He departed the WHL following the 2022-23 season to become an assistant coach with the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League. He spent three seasons in professional hockey before taking the job in Red Deer.

“Coaching in the AHL was a really fun challenge and a great experience. Being a part of pro hockey for the first time like that was an experience that I wanted to go through. It was a great challenge, but it’s hard being away from your family,” he said. “I spent three years away from my family, and at the ages my kids are at, I wanted to be closer to home and see my kids play hockey every once in a while. I want to see my daughter dance. It’s a great opportunity to go back to Red Deer and coach hockey at a really high level but also be around my family.”

As excited as he is for the job ahead, Kisio wasn’t afraid to admit he hated the Rebels for a lot of years.

He coached not one but two of the Rebels’ biggest rivals in the Central Division for two decades.

That’s plenty of time to build animosity.

“When I was in Calgary, we had rivalries there, and it started there. That was back when I used to watch games with [Ryan] Getzlaf and [Andrew] Ladd. Red Deer had [Dion] Phaneuf and Colin Fraser. Those guys would battle against each other, and it was fun to watch,” Kisio said.

“When I was in Lethbridge, it was the same thing. We had some great battles, and it’s because you respect them. I’ve always respected Red Deer and the organization, and you always knew you were going to have to battle when you played them. That’s what I want to continue and help build and bring back to Red Deer.”

Kisio explained he’s looking forward to working with the young roster assembled in Red Deer. He said the game has changed a lot where youth and speed can be an asset.

He wants to get the team to a level where they are competing every night.

“I’m a coach that believes in defending hard, but good defence leads to offence. We want our team to score some goals, put the puck in the net, and be jumping offensively,” he said. “Hopefully, it’s an exciting brand of hockey that fans want to watch but also one they can respect. Red Deer is a hard-working city, and we want to be a hard-working team.”

The Rebels have struggled to find stability in the head coaching position as of late. Kisio’s hiring marks the Rebels’ fifth head coach in five years.

Steve Konowalchuk resigned following the 2022-23 season due to personal reasons, followed by Derrick Walser, who mutually parted ways with the team weeks before the 2023-24 WHL playoffs. Dave Struch was hired to replace him but stepped down from the role after the 2024-25 season.

Most recently, Marc Habscheid resigned as head coach to move back to Europe.

Kisio explained he’s excited to see what they can build in Red Deer for a few years.

“I have no plans to go anywhere. I just want to try and win some championships in Red Deer,” Kisio said.

“Winning a championship takes a lot of things. It takes luck, timing, and part of it is turning kids into men too. You can have all the skill, but you’ve got to turn some kids into men and build a team. Then at the end of the year, you have one of the closest teams in the league as well to compete. When you get to the playoffs, anything can happen.”