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Two weeks before they select first overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, the San Jose Sharks have their new head coach. The Sharks announced the promotion of assistant coach Ryan Warsofsky on Thursday, naming him the 11th head coach in franchise history.
“We’re very excited to announce Ryan as the 11th head coach of the San Jose Sharks,” general manager Mike Grier said. “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 joined the Sharks in 2022 under David Quinn, who was fired in April after consecutive losing seasons. He primarily worked with the team's defense and penalty kill, a unit that ranked 8th in the NHL in 2022-23 before dropping to 28th this season.
Warsofsky's time with the Sharks is his first with an NHL team. Before joining San Jose, he was a head coach in the American Hockey League for three seasons. He led the Chicago Wolves to the Calder Cup in 2022 following a league-best 50-win regular season.
“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 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.”
At 36 years old, Warsofsky becomes the youngest head coach in the NHL. The 2024-25 season will mark his 12th season as a professional hockey coach.
Sharks ready for new era following brutal five-year stretch
Following the 2004-05 NHL lockout, the Sharks reached the playoffs in 13 of the next 14 seasons. San Jose failed to make the postseason in each of the last five years, and no NHL team has a lower point percentage during that span.
The 2023-24 season was the tipping point as the Sharks won 19 games and totaled 47 points, both their lowest amount in an 82-game season in franchise history. San Jose accumulated only 14 points in 31 games after the All-Star break.
The dreadful season did afford the Sharks the No. 1 pick in this year's draft. They are likely to use it to select Hobey Baker Award winner Macklin Celebrini, who is celebrating his 18th birthday the same day San Jose announced Warsofsky as head coach.
One player won’t vault the Sharks into playoff contention, but securing a talent like Celebrini will certainly help San Jose crawl out of the NHL basement.
The Sharks could look back at the 2024 offseason as a defining time in the franchise's history. Making Ryan Warsofsky the head coach could be the beginning of San Jose's much-needed turnaround. He's provided a winning culture at both of his previous head coaching stops and the Sharks see him as a potential outlet from mediocrity.
San Jose could be a fun team to watch next season with Ryan Warsofsky calling the shots and Celebrini leading the way on the ice. Although success is no guarantee, it's hard for things to get much worse for the Sharks.
