Alfredsson Headlines New Leafs Coaching Staff

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As has been a common theme with the Toronto Maple Leafs, since the end of their disastrous campaign in April, the club has continued to make wholesale changes. They began with the hiring of GM John Chayka and senior advisor Mats Sundin, and kept going with the addition of Asst. GM Judd Brackett, the dismissal of Craig Berube, the hiring of head coach Jim Hiller, and a changeover of nearly half of the NHL roster.

On Tuesday, the club announced that assistant coaches Mike Van Ryn and Derek Lalonde would not be back, and that Hall of Famer Daniel Alfredsson, Calder Cup winner John Gruden, and Brad Werenka would make up Hiller’s staff. Alfredsson has been named associate coach, while Gruden and Werenka were named assistants.

“I’m incredibly excited to add Daniel, John and Brad to our coaching staff,” Hiller said in a press release. “Daniel’s experience, leadership and understanding of the game speak for themselves. John has established himself as one of the top coaches in the American Hockey League and played an instrumental role in leading the Marlies to a Calder Cup championship last season. Brad brings a unique combination of NHL experience, player development and expertise in performance analytics. Together, they’ll be outstanding additions to our team.”

Who The Leafs Hired

Alfredsson spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach in Ottawa, the club that he played all but one of his 18-year NHL career with. The hiring sent shockwaves through the Sens organization and is widely perceived as a move linked to Sundin; his fellow countryman and 2006 Olympic gold medal winning teammate.

Gruden was a big part of the Toronto Marlies unexpected Calder Cup championship last season and returns to the NHL as an assistant after being a head coach in the AHL for three seasons. The 56-year-old had previous stints as an assistant in Boston Bruins and with Hiller as part of Barry Trotz’s staff with the NY Islanders, and indicated before being hired that they had an excellent working relationship while on Long Island.

Former NHLer Werenka served as an assistant coach for the University of Calgary Dinos Men’s Hockey program from 2022-25 and was a co-founder of TruPerformance, which specializes in sports performance data, along with Hiller.

With the promotion of Gruden, the Leafs now have to hire someone to take over the Marlies. Nick Alberga of the Nation Network indicated that Leafs assistant Steve Sullivan may be considered for the job, but is also curious about Kitchener Rangers head coach and Memorial Cup winner Jussi Ahokas.