The San Jose Sharks will go into the 2024 offseason looking to hire a new head coach after parting ways with former coach David Quinn.
It’s the team’s second head coach search of the decade after they previously parted ways with Bob Boughner in 2022. The team has not reached the playoffs in the last 5 seasons. It’s the longest playoff drought in team history.
There’s hope in “Sharks Territory” that the next head coach will be the person who can both right the ship and lead the team through the tough rebuild. There will be pressure on San Jose Sharks General Manager Mike Grier to get this coaching hire correctly. There’s an influx of young players coming through the organization for the first time in years and San Jose must make the right decision.
San Jose Sharks Option 1: Marco Sturm
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Former San Jose Sharks player and current Ontario Reign Head Coach Marco Sturm has been mentioned as a potential head coach candidate. Sturm has been seen as somebody who has been ready to be an NHL Head Coach for about a year now. There’s also a deal of familiarity in this potential reunion.
Marco Sturm was a former first-round pick for the San Jose Sharks in the 1996 NHL Draft and played for the team from 1997 until 2005. He was one of the key pieces involved in the Joe Thornton trade that brought Thornton to San Jose.
Marco Sturm has been coaching the Ontario Reign since 2022. Previously, he had been the Los Angeles Kings assistant coach and coached the German National Team to the Finals of the 2018 Winter Olympics. Sturm is coming off of a 42-23-3 season with the Reign if the San Jose Sharks hire him.
Getting a coach who’s had success in the minors coaching younger talent could prove beneficial. Quinton Byfield and Brandt Clarke are two players who played under Sturm in the AHL and look to be stars of the future for the Kings. The Kings are in the playoffs thanks in part to the development of players under Sturm.
San Jose Sharks Option 2: Todd McLellan
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This would be a name of great familiarity to Sharks fans. Todd McLellan was Head Coach of the San Jose Sharks from 2008 until 2015. He coached the Edmonton Oilers from 2015 until 2018 and was the coach of the Los Angeles Kings from 2018 until 2023.
Todd McLellan is experienced in coaching and rebuilding teams to success. The Kings made it to the postseason despite tearing down the roster while McLellan was there in 2021-22 and 2022-23. The Oilers snapped an 11-season playoff drought in 2016-17 with McLellan behind the bench. An underrated fact is that McLellan also coached San Jose Sharks General Manager Mike Grier.
The Sharks have players like Will Smith, Quintin Musty, and whomever they select in the 2024 NHL Draft coming through the pipeline. They’re coming off of possibly the worst season in Sharks team history. Todd McLellan might be the right guy for the job in this important offseason.
Option 3: Joel Ward
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Another former San Jose Sharks player, Joel Ward is currently behind the bench as an assistant for the rival Vegas Golden Knights. He has less experience than the others but played in the NHL the most recently. This could give an advantage over the other options for the job.
Mike Grier could see Ward as a coach who can easily relate to the players. On top of that, he doesn’t have any bad tendencies as a coach that we know of yet. He would be able to learn on the job and would be able to work closely with Grier on how to best lead this team out of the rebuild.
Joel Ward also has one thing on his resume that the others don’t have. While Sturm was a fan favorite for a long time, he didn’t play in the Stanley Cup for the Sharks. Ward was a key member of the 2016 team that lost in the Stanley Cup Finals, still the only Sharks team to make it to the Finals.
Option 4: David Carle
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This name might be a sleeper option for a lot of fans. David Carle isn’t a homegrown talent from the Sharks organization. He’s also not a former Head Coach of an NHL team. He’s currently the Head Coach of the University of Denver, the NCAA Champions.
He’s a two-time champion as a coach, having also led the University of Denver to the title in 2021-22. At 34 years of age, he’s also a youthful coach who’s been the Head Coach at the university since 2018-19. The bottom line is, that he’s been a winner with a winning record in every season except for the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.
With a young roster, now might be the time for the Sharks to hire a coach who could potentially be a great coach at the next level. Carle has achieved it all at the NCAA level and if the Sharks don’t hire him somebody else might.
Pairing up David Carle with a young roster featuring prospects coming out of the NCAA system could be a great match. Carle would likely know how to get the most out of the youthful roster and can guide them to the next phase of their rebuild.
About the Author
Alex is a writer at Total Apex Sports and Total Apex Gaming. He’s a loyal fan of many teams, including the Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco Giants. You can find him on X at @alex_furtotti
