*Photo from San Jose Hockey Now*
There's a new boss behind the bench. The San Jose Sharks announced they've made assistant coach Ryan Warsofsky as their next head coach Thursday.
With the Sharks having fired David Quinn after the season, they decided to promote an assistant coach on his staff for the last two seasons. Warsofsky oversaw the defense and penalty kill as an assistant with the Sharks and will be a first time head coach in the NHL.
Sharks GM Mike Grier said of the news that "We're very excited to announce Ryan as the 11th head coach of the San Jose Sharks. His track record of success at nearly every level of hockey as a head and assistant coach speaks for itself. Ryan knows our existing group well, has the respect of the players who he will be working with, and will be a great teacher for the young players who will be joining our organization."
Warsofsky, at age 36, is the youngest current head coach in the NHL and the youngest since Jeremy Colliton made his head coaching debut for the Chicago Blackhawks at age 33 in 2018. Warsofsky is the Sharks' 11th head coach in franchise history and is one of the 100 youngest NHL head coaches.
Previously, Warsofsky was the head coach of the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, leading them for two seasons, including their 2022 season where they won the Calder Cup. He previously won a Calder Cup as an assistant coach with the AHL Charlotte Checkers. He has a 105-47-11-7 record in the AHL.
Warsofsky said of the opportunity "I'm overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement to be named as the head coach of the San Jose Sharks. This a tremendous opportunity to continue to be part of a well-respected organization, and my family and I couldn't be more excited for this next chapter. I want to thank our owner Hasso Plattner, president Jonathan Becher, general manager Mike Grier and assistant GMs Tom Holy and Joe Will for their trust in me. This is an organization that has a rich history of winning, and I can't wait to get to work on coaching a team that our fans can be proud of."
The Sharks got off to a 0-10-1 start last season and didn't even get to 20 wins on the season, finishing at 19-54-9, the worst record in the league by a 5 point margin. They allowed at least 7 goals a game 10 times and 10 goals in a game twice. They've missed the playoffs 5 years in a row.
That has Warsofsky's work cut out for him almost right away. In the middle of a rebuild, the Sharks possess the first overall pick in this year's NHL draft, which will almost certainly go to BU forward Macklin Celebrini. After that, the decision will be whether Celebrini goes pro or returns to BU for another season. 2023 first round pick Will Smith has signed an entry level contract with the club.
Since the season ended, Warsofsky has become the 7th head coach named to the position. Dan Bylsma, Travis Green, and Scott Arniel were promoted to lead the Seattle Kraken, Ottawa Senators, and Winnipeg Jets respectively, while the Buffalo Sabres hired Lindy Ruff, the New Jersey Devils hired Sheldon Keefe, and the Toronto Maple Leafs hired Craig Berube.
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