Career
He is currently serving as the head coach to the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League (AHL). Allen started his career with the Troy Sabres of the All-American Hockey League in 1986. He would he traded to the Carolina Thunderbirds during the 1986-1987 AAHL season.
Allen would stay with the team for four seasons as they made their move from the AAHL to the ECHL and changed their name from the Carolina Thunderbirds to the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds.
During the 1988-1989 ECHL season, Allen played slightly under fourteen minutes as a goaltender for the Carolina Thunderbirds, giving up 3 goals on 10 shots. Gaelic Athletic Association of 13.26 with a save perscentage of.700.
Allen would play six games for the Cincinnati Cyclones during the 1990-1991 season before leaving for the Colonial Hockey League in 1991-1992. Allen would retire from hockey in 1996.
Allen joined the Johnstown Chiefs as an assistant to head coach Nick Fotiu prior to the 1996-1997 ECHL season.
The team would go 24–39–0–7 in Allen"s first year as an assistant coach. Fotiu and Allen returned to the Chiefs bench for the 1997-1998 ECHL season. The Chiefs started their season 4–20–6 (233), and Fotiu was fired from the team after 30 games.
Allen assumed the duties as head coach for the remainder of the season, where the team showed improvement by going 17–21–2 (450) over the last 40 games.
The 1999-1900 season would be the start of a three-year run where the Chiefs advanced deep into the playoffs. The Chiefs would advance to the conference semi-finals in both 2000 and 2002, and would make the ECHL conference quarterfinals in 2001.
Allen would then leave the ECHL to take an assistant coach"s position with the AHL"s San Antonio Rampage. Allen then accepted assistant coach position in Omaha, Lowell and Quad City after leaving the Rampage.
On July 20, 2009, Allen was named as an assistant coach to then-head coach Scott Gordon at the New York Islanders.
On April 16, 2012, Allen was let go from his assistant coaching position by the New York Islanders. In the 2013-2014 season, he was an assistant coach for the AHL Chicago Wolves. He returned as an assistant coach to the AHL"s San Antonio Rampage for the 2014-2015 season.
Following the Florida Panthers affiliate switch to the Portland Pirates, Allen began the season in an assistant role for 2015-2016.
On January 1, 2016, Allen was announced as the Pirates Head Coach mid-season, as Tom Rowe accepted a promotion within the Panthers organization.
