(San Jose) The San Jose Sharks have promoted Ryan Warsofsky to head coach of the team after two years as an assistant under recently fired David Quinn.
Sharks general manager Mike Grier announced Thursday that Warsofsky will become the 11th head coach in team history. It will be officially presented on Monday during a press conference.
“His record of success at almost every level of hockey as a head coach and assistant speaks for itself,” Grier said in a press release. Ryan knows our existing group well, he has the respect of the players he will work with, and he will be an excellent teacher for the young players who will join our organization. »
Warsofsky takes the reins of a team that has struggled greatly since reaching the Western Conference finals in 2019. The Sharks were 41-98-25 in Quinn’s two seasons as head coach, which is the worst record during this period.
The Sharks had just 47 points last season, the worst total in the NHL, and their 19 wins were the fewest full-season totals in team history since its second year of existence. , in 1992-93.
But after years of trading away star players like Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier, the Sharks are now in a rebuilding position. They won the draft lottery and are expected to select Hobey Baker Trophy winner Macklin Celebrini with the top pick later in June.
“I am overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement to be named head coach of the San Jose Sharks,” Warsofsky said in a statement. This is an organization that has a rich history of winning and I look forward to getting to work leading a team that our fans can be proud of. »
Warsofsky, 36, has been an assistant with the Sharks for the past two seasons. His main responsibilities were to supervise the team’s defense and numerical inferiority.
Working with one of the youngest teams in the NHL, the Sharks have ranked 18th in the NHL in penalty killing over the past two seasons, shooting 78.8 percent.
Warsofsky previously served as the head coach of the Chicago Wolves for two seasons in the American Hockey League. He led the Wolves to the AHL’s best record in 2021-22, 50-16-10, and won the Calder Cup in 2022.