COLUMBUS, Ohio — Trent Vogelhuber came oh-so-close, but never played in the NHL during his seven-year pro career, mostly due to chronic knee injuries, which forced him to retire at only 29 years old.But Vogelhuber, now 37, has reached the big leagues quickly in his second act.The Columbus Blue Jackets will announce in the coming days that Vogelhuber, who grew up in the Columbus suburbs, was drafted by the Blue Jackets and has been head coach of their AHL affiliate in Cleveland for the past four seasons, has been hired to join Rick Bowness’ staff as an assistant coach, a team source told The Athletic.Vogelhuber went 145-108-35 behind the Monsters’ bench, including a 37-26-9 record this season, which ended on Sunday when Cleveland lost to Toronto in the deciding Game 5 of their second-round playoff series. The Monsters made the playoffs in three of his four seasons.The Blue Jackets created at least two openings on Bowness’ staff just after the 2025-26 season ended when they fired assistant coaches Scott Ford and Mike Haviland.They’re expected to hire a veteran assistant coach in addition to Vogelhuber, but may also consider a third coach if the fit is right. Bowness has mentioned wanting to add a skills coach to the staff.