The Maple Leafs announced the hiring of their new AHL head coach this morning.
The Toronto Maple Leafs today announced the hiring of John Gruden as head coach of the Toronto Marlies. Gruden became the eighth head coach in club history.
“We are thrilled to appoint John as coach of the Toronto Marlies,” said Ryan Hardy, assistant general manager of operations for the Minor League. “John has supported the development and performance of his players throughout his coaching career while achieving team success at every level. His resume from the US National Team Development Program to the OHL and eventually the NHL has provided him with a wealth of knowledge and experience that will be invaluable to both players and staff.”
Gruden, 53, joined the Marlies after serving as an assistant coach this past season with the Boston Bruins and previously held the same position from 2018-22 with the New York Islanders. As the head coach of the Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL), he led the club to the 2018 OHL Championship and compiled a record of 76-45-8-7 over two seasons (2016-18). Gruden also served as the head coach of the Flint Firebirds (OHL) during the 2015-16 season.
He began his coaching career as an assistant coach with the US NTDP Juniors (USHL) from 2011 to 2015, and helped lead Team USA to gold medals at both the 2012 and 2014 U18 World Championships.
The Virginia, Minnesota native appeared in 92 NHL games and 175 AHL games after being selected in the eighth round (168th overall) of the 1990 NHL Draft by the Boston Bruins. Prior to his professional career, Gruden scored 104 points (40 goals, 64 assists) in 155 games at Ferris State University and was named NCAA (CCHA) Most Valuable Offensive Defender, NCAA (CCHA) First Team All-Star and NCAA (West) First Team American in 1993-1994.
So there’s nothing wrong with going with someone off the bench on a team that holds the record for regular season wins and serves under the Jack Adams Award. Prior to that Gruden was with Barry Trotz on Long Island, winning an OHL championship with the Hamilton Bulldogs prior to that. With his experience with the US National Team, he has experience working with a number of Leafs players, including Auston Matthews.
This appears to be a very good lease for the Marlies and will likely be a long-term lease for the Leafs as well.
Gruden has experience as a head coach at the junior level, but in the professional ranks, Gruden has been an assistant coach in the NHL his entire time. This time has passed well, but it’s not unusual for coaches to need some bench coach experience before transitioning into a head coach role at the NHL level. Whether it was on purpose for the Leafs or if this was Gruden in his rep so he could go elsewhere, it’s a hiring that certainly hints at the NHL Head Coach’s aspirations and the Leafs make no mistake in bringing in someone who will somehow get Keefe paid.
Gruden has been in charge of Boston’s defensive unit, Toby Nimela has been the key player for Toronto’s Marlies this season, and hopefully the move will benefit him as well.
The next step for Gruden and Hardy would be to terminate Marlies’ coaching staff. The Leafs have yet to replace assistant coach Spencer Carbery’s spot on the Maple Leafs.