The next head coach of the San Jose Sharks was announced to be Ryan Warsofsky. He will become the eleventh head coach in San Jose Sharks history, replacing David Quinn, who was dismissed at the end of the horrific season the Sharks endured. Warsofsky served as an assistant to Quinn, who has joined the Pittsburgh Penguins coaching staff since his dismissal from the Sharks organization, and Warsofsky will be the new voice heading into the 2024-25 campaign.
Warsofsky started to attract interest from the Sharks when he was the head coach of the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League. He helped them collect their fourth Calder Cup Championship in 2022 before joining the Sharks as an assistant. His time helping the prospects of the Carolina Hurricanes organization develop played a large part in why they are as successful as they are now. The organization hopes he can do the same with the youngsters the Sharks organization will have next season.
There will be little expectation on the coach for this first season, as the organization is in the midst of a deep rebuild, which is quite overt. Be better than last season was under Quinn, and it could be viewed as a success. If players like William Eklund, Will Smith, Macklin Celebrini, and Shakir Mukhamadullin had had good seasons in the NHL, Warsofsky would have had a successful season.
We're approaching free agency, and the Sharks have to spend money to reach the cap floor, so there will be more for Warsofsky to work with than what is currently on the roster. The San Jose Sharks hope to develop Warsofsky by getting a few more talented players onto the roster to aid the young, emerging core. Leadership and progress are the big goals moving forward. Can he be the voice this young locker room needs?