The San Jose Sharks and General Manager Mike Grier have some exciting news to announce as they have hired a new head coach, Ryan Warsofsky. The Sharks are a franchise that has been struggling, but they are definitely taking some proper steps in turning it around. It helps they have the first overall pick, and that the consensus number one pick is excited about the venture. Now they will have a new bench boss to guide them. But just what are Ryan Warsofsky’s coaching credentials?
There’s a new bench boss in San Jose #TheFutureIsTeal
Introducing Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky! pic.twitter.com/11nuOn70lq
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) June 13, 2024
Ryan Warsofsky Hired as San Jose Shark Head Coach
As a player, Ryan Warsofsky did experience some success as a NCAA Division III defenceman with Curry College just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. However, he was unable to transition to the pro ranks. In 2016-17, he was able to pick up a professional hockey gig, as the head coach of the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. He definitely made a great impression in his rookie coaching season as he led the team to league finals. The following season, he guided the Stingrays to an awesome .722 wining percentage. It was enough to parlay into an AHL job as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Checkers. By 2019-20, at only the age of 32, Warsofsky began his AHL head coaching journey. In three seasons as a AHL head coach, he had an outstanding .685 winning percentage, that culminated with a 2022 Calder Cup Championship as a member of the Chicago Wolves.
What Will This Mean for NHL Success
Moreover, the past two seasons, he has been an assistant coach with the Sharks. Therefore, even though former Head Coach David Quinn was let go in late April, a former staffer, Warsofsky, has been assigned to the task. It seems he is a great, young, energetic option to lead the Sharks through the organizational rebuild. It will sure help with adding prospective number one overall pick Macklin Celebrini to the fold. The Sharks have other good young NHL prospects developing too, such as Thomas Bordeleau, Mario Ferraro, or William Eklund. There’s definitely no rush in The Bay to bring the Sharks back to playoff relevance, so the coach and the players will have at least two or three years to prove themselves without the worry of GM Grier pressuring things along.
Main photo: David Kirouac USA TODAY Sports
