After weeks of searching, the San Jose Sharks have found the team’s newest head coach and he was already on the payroll. This morning, the team announced that Ryan Warsofsky will take over behind the bench. The former assistant coach under David Quinn will now have full responsibility of the team.
“We’re very excited to announce Ryan as the 11th head coach of the San Jose Sharks,” said General Manager Mike Grier in a statement. “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.”
“I’m overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement to be named as the head coach of the San Jose Sharks,” Warsofsky said in a statement. “This [is] 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 GM’s 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 release did not say who Warsofsky’s assistant coaches would be. The two other assistant coaches, Brian Wiseman and Scott Gordon, are still with the organization as far as we know and no one has said if they will continue in their roles moving forward.
The Sharks will hold a news conference at SAP Center on June 17 to officially announce the hiring.
What we know about Warsofsky’s coaching history
This is the 36-year-old Warsofsky’s first time as an NHL head coach. He spent the past two seasons working for the Sharks organization under Quinn. He also interviewed for the head coaching position two years ago.
As the assistant coach, he oversaw the team’s defense and penalty kill. The Sharks’ penalty kill ranked 18th in the NHL between the 2022-24 seasons with a 78.8% kill rate.
Prior to joining the Sharks, Warsofsky was the head coach of the Chicago Wolves. He led the Wolves to the best regular-season record in 2021-22 (50-16-5-5) and then to a Calder Cup at the end of that season. It was his second Calder Cup championship. He also won a championship as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Checkers in 2018-19.
Warsofsky took over as the Checkers’ head coach in 2019. He has also worked with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays and the Curry College team in the NCAA.
David Quinn lands behind a new bench
Meanwhile, Warsofsky’s predecessor has found himself a new job.
Quinn joins the Pittsburgh Penguins as an assistant coach.
