SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Sharks have promoted Ryan Warsofsky as the team’s new head coach after two years as an assistant under the recently fired David Quinn.
General manager Mike Grier announced that Warsofsky will become the 11th head coach in franchise history. He will be formally introduced at a press conference.
“His record at virtually every level of hockey as a head and assistant coach speaks for itself,” Grier said in a statement. “Ryan knows our existing group well, has the respect of the players he will work with and will be a great teacher for the young players who join our organization.”
Warsofsky takes over a team that had struggled mightily since reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2019. The Sharks went 41-98-25 in Quinn’s two seasons for the worst mark in the NHL during that span, including a worst 47 points in the league last season. San Jose’s 19 wins this season were the fewest in a full season since the franchise’s second year as an expansion team in 1992-93.
But after years of trading expensive stars like Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier, the Sharks are now positioned for a resurgence. They won the draft lottery and are expected to consider Hobey Baker winner Macklin Celebrini as a key part of the rebuild later this month.
“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 with a rich history of winning, and I can’t wait to get started coaching a team that our fans can be proud of.”
Warsofsky, 36, spent the past two seasons as an assistant for San Jose with his primary responsibilities overseeing the team’s defense and taking penalties. Working with one of the younger rosters in the NHL, the Sharks penalty kill ranked 18th in the NHL over the last two seasons at 78.8%.
Warsofsky previously spent two seasons as head coach of the Chicago Wolves in the AHL. He led the Wolves to the AHL’s best regular season record with a 50-16-5-5 record in 2021-2022 and captured the 2022 Calder Cup.
He also spent one season as Charlotte’s head coach in the AHL and two seasons as head coach in the ECHL.
