SAN JOSE, Calif. — Ryan Warsofsky had a front-row seat to a few of the worst hockey performed by the San Jose Sharks since their growth days as an assistant beneath David Quinn the previous two seasons.
Now the 36-year-old who was employed final week because the youngest coach within the NHL might be tasked with overseeing a youth motion led by projected No. 1 total draft choose Macklin Celebrini that Sharks common supervisor Mike Grier hopes can get the franchise again into competition.
“We simply went via two actually robust years. I do know what they want,” Warsofsky mentioned at his introductory information convention Monday. “They’re beat up a bit bit. We want some new mild. We want some power. We want some positivity. Now we now have some hope with the prospects which are coming. It is a actually thrilling chapter on this franchise with the prospects that Mike’s introduced in and drafted and we’re beginning to develop and now with this draft arising. So thrilling occasions are positively forward.”
These thrilling occasions have been missing since San Jose made a run to the Western Convention Ultimate in 2019. San Jose has missed the playoffs for 5 straight seasons and bottomed out the previous two as Grier started a teardown that now appears primed to bear fruit in a rebuild.
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Grier traded away a number of star veterans corresponding to Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier to assist restock a prospect pool that was bereft when he took over and now will add the No. 1 total choose after profitable the draft lottery final month to a bunch that has a number of gifted younger gamers.
Grier believed Warsofsky was the proper match to guide a younger group along with his potential to speak and relate with younger gamers and his expertise growing them as a profitable coach within the AHL earlier than becoming a member of San Jose.
“He is an incredible communicator, which goes to be vital,” Grier mentioned. “We’ll have a younger group right here. Connecting and talking with and bonding with these younger gamers goes to be tremendous vital. It will be a giant a part of us taking the subsequent step ahead. He simply checked each field to us.”
Warsofsky beforehand had been head coach of the Chicago Wolves for 2 seasons within the AHL. He led the Wolves to the AHL’s finest regular-season file with a 50-16-5-5 file in 2021-22 and captured the 2022 Calder Cup.
That type of success has been missing in San Jose.
The Sharks went 41-98-25 in Quinn’s two seasons for the worst mark within the NHL in that span, together with a league-worst 47 factors this previous season. San Jose’s 19 wins this season had been the fewest in a full season for the reason that franchise’s second yr as an growth crew in 1992-93.
The Sharks had been non-competitive at occasions, permitting at the least six objectives in 18 video games, together with back-to-back video games early within the season of 10 objectives allowed.
“There might be some adjustments,” Warsofsky mentioned. “Clearly, the numbers weren’t nice, the analytics weren’t nice. We now have to make adjustments. There must be a system in place that our gamers know what is going on on. They perceive the system. … When we now have the puck we all know what to do with it and once we do not, we all know find out how to get it again.”
San Jose has had the worst file within the NHL the previous 5 seasons and has struggled to fill the Shark Tank with followers turned off by the poor play on the ice. The fan curiosity began to alter as quickly because the Sharks received the draft lottery.
Workforce president Jonathan Becher mentioned the season ticket renewal charge is the best it has been for the reason that crew made a Stanley Cup run in 2016 and that new gross sales are additionally trending at a file tempo. Becher mentioned the crew is on the right track to promote out its draft watch occasion and will double the earlier excessive attendance for it by any crew.
“Clearly the temper across the franchise considerably modified after the primary choose went our method,” Becher mentioned.
Grier ended the information convention by making some extent to close down rumors that he’s trying to commerce captain Logan Couture, who performed simply six video games this previous season due to accidents.
“That’s completely false,” Grier mentioned. “In the event you take a look at us bringing in younger gamers right here and having a younger crew, he is precisely the type of individual you wish to have round your younger gamers. He is our captain. He had a troublesome yr however we love him, as an individual most significantly however he is additionally a heck of a hockey participant.”
