The Sharks finally hired a head coach.
And, shocker of all shockers, he has Massachusetts ties.
Related Articles
Kurtenbach: Recruiting Jerry West is the best move the Warriors ever made
Kurtenbach: Here’s who the Warriors should draft with pick No. 52
Kurtenbach: The SF Giants’ new goal — tread water until the All-Star break
Kurtenbach Mailbag: Brandon Aiyuk’s new contract numbers, Deebo Samuel’s next team
Kurtenbach: Rookies impress, but the 49ers have a quarterback problem — minicamp Studs and Duds
Jokes aside, I like Mike Grier’s hiring of Ryan Warsofsky. It gives the Sharks some much-needed continuity following the dismissal of David Quinn from the role — Warsofsky was a Sharks assistant under Quinn, managing defensemen and the power play — but it’s also doubling down on youth for a rebuilding team. Warsofsky, 36, is now the youngest head coach in the NHL.
The Sharks’ roster is predicated on potential and projection. Why shouldn’t the man behind the bench fit the same mold?
Of course, I cannot tell you if Warsofsky will succeed or fail in the role, but I can speak to his bonafides: he’s worked his way up from Division III assistant to an NHL head coaching job because his teams win games.
For the Sharks, that’s a concept worth exploring.
Yes, the team is still in the midst of a rebuild. One could say it’s still in its early stages, seeing as the centerpiece of the project — Macklin Celebrini — is yet to be drafted by the team. (That will change on June 28, when the Sharks will take him No. 1 overall.)
But Warsofsky won with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL, going to the Kelly Cup final in his first year as a head coach. He won with the Charlotte Checkers and Chicago Wolves of the AHL, winning the Calder Cup as an assistant in Charlotte and a head coach in Chicago.
The logical outcome of his first NHL head coaching job is obvious, right? How much harder could this league be than the minors?
Of course, to fulfill that (lofty, if not outrageous) destiny, Warsofsky has his work cut out for him.
But that was certainly the case this past season as a Sharks assistant, and despite an overwhelmed roster that posted the worst record in the league, Warsofsky’s penalty-kill unit was 12th in the NHL after Feb. 1.
On a team with few bright spots, that was unquestionably one of them.
Warsofsky’s work with the Sharks caught the notice of the league. He was reportedly being eyed for assistant coach jobs away from the Sharks, leaving Grier with a hire-or-lose-him scenario.
Warsofsky reportedly beat out former Shark Marco Sturm for the job. Strum had been an NHL assistant for four years with the Kings before taking over as that team’s AHL affiliate.
Would Sturm have been a good hire? Sure.
My preferred candidate at the start of the Sharks’ process, Jeremy Colliton, would have been, too.
Again, I can’t tell you that Warsofsky was heads and shoulders better than the competition — a superstar in the profession. All I can say is that he’s qualified for this gig at this time.
And above all else, I’m just happy Warsofsky isn’t another NHL head coach re-tread.
I’m all for second chances — Colliton was given a raw deal in Chicago — but there are so many coaches (Dan Bylsma, Craig Berube, Lindy Ruff) who received a third or fourth swing at one of 32 jobs this offseason.
As much as I like Todd McLellan, points to the Sharks for giving a young coach with promise and pedigree a chance to show he can do the job.
Related Articles
San Jose Sharks name Warsofsky new head coach
San Jose Sharks coaching search enters crucial stage
The Capitals are purchasing CapFriendly. Why didn’t the Sharks?
NHL Draft: Will Sharks pick for need at No. 14 or draft best player available? Grier offers a small hint
Why the Sharks are terminating the contract of the Barracuda’s leading scorer
That’s a good mantra for a team like San Jose to have.
I won’t pretend Warsofsky didn’t have help when it came to getting coaching gigs — he’s a family friend of long-time Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, who just hired Quinn (his college teammate at Boston University) as an assistant coach — either. It doesn’t take a conspiracy theorist to figure out how Warsofsky ended up on the Sharks bench in the first place. This NHL coaching thing is pretty incestuous.
But Warsofsky has made the most of his chances. You don’t become an NHL head coach at age 36 because you know Sullivan and your brother (David) played at BU.
And this is the biggest chance yet.
Let’s see what he makes of it.
