By: Jack Studley | Follow me on Twitter/X @jackstudley13
On Tuesday morning, the Boston Bruins welcomed the 30th head coach in franchise history. Marco Sturm and Don Sweeney were seated in front of a group of media members (including BNG’s own Chad Jones!) and fielded questions about the hiring process and what to expect from Coach Sturm.
On Tuesday morning, before the press conference, one question was answered, specifically regarding the assistant coaches. Jim McBride from the Boston Herald reported that the Bruins would retain assistant coaches Jay Leach, Chris Kelly, and Bob Essensa. Don Sweeney further confirmed that report during the press conference. Both of them added that the Bruins would add another assistant to Sturm’s bench.
Goaltending coach Bob Essensa has been a staple of the Bruins bench, joining the staff in 2003 – Sturm will be his seventh head coach. The Bruins brought in Jay Leach last summer, and he was tasked with working with the defense corps. Towards the end of the 2024-25 regular season, the Bruins experienced a boost in their penalty kill, which coincided with Chris Kelly assuming an additional role within the group. The question was asked a few times during Tuesday’s press conference, but what will the Bruins do with the vacant assistant coaching spot?
If we look at the Bruins bench for next season, Kelly, who was a valuable penalty killer during his time in Boston, would likely focus on the penalty kill unit. Leach would resume his work with the defense, and Essensa would concentrate on goaltending. “Yes, we want somebody who has some power play experience,” Sturm said at Tuesday’s press conference, “But again, I’m looking at everything right now. We are in that process right now.”
Over three years in Ontario, Marco Sturm oversaw the Reign’s power play, which had a 20.59% success rate. In the 2023-24 season, the Reign power play finished second overall in the AHL. On the other hand, the Bruins’ power play struggled this season, finishing with a 15.22% rate, which ranked 29th in the NHL. Chris Kelly spent time working with the power play unit this season, but shifting him to the penalty kill will give him a chance to flourish in a place he excelled during his playing days.
Narrowing down the list of assistant coaches is a challenging task, NESN’s Andrew Raycroft agrees, joking that there are a million potential candidates who could fill the role. Sturm mentioned that there are many coaches but expressed confidence that they will find the right fit. The press conference on Tuesday revealed that the Bruins are not limited to, but are seeking, a power play specialist, so a few names are likely to emerge as top candidates.
One name that has surfaced in several coaching searches this summer is former Buffalo Sabres coach Don Granato. He was not explicitly linked with the Bruins, but with eight spots filled, he is still looking for a job. Granato started with the Sabres in the 2019-20 season, where he worked as an assistant who focused on the power play. While he was an assistant, the power play had a 19.76% success rate, which only increased during his first two seasons as a head coach. Buffalo’s power play finished ninth in the league at 23.42% during the 2022-23 season, although the Sabres missed the playoffs.
Granato’s tenure in Buffalo spanned from his promotion to interim head coach in 2021 until the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. Over his time there, the Sabres went 122-125-27, for a win percentage of .495 – the highest out of a bench boss in Buffalo since Lindy Ruff’s first tenure. Casey Mittelstadt is a player who benefitted from Don Granato’s time in Buffalo, but Don Granato likely benefitted from working with names like Sam Reinhart, Jack Eichel, and Tage Thompson. In the NHL, Granato has worked for the Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, and the St. Louis Blues. His resume also includes stops with the USA National Team Development Program, the Chicago Wolves, and the Worcester IceCats.
If I were Don Sweeney, I would be calling Matt McIlvane. He has no NHL head coaching experience, but do not let that fool you. The 39-year-old is currently the head coach of the San Diego Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks AHL affiliate, and has been in that position for two years. Before his start in San Diego, he was the coach of Austria’s EC Red Bull Salzburg, where the team won back-to-back championships before he left. He amassed a record of 127-47-19 while at Salzburg, overseeing a powerplay that went 21.48% over the four seasons and playoffs. Before joining Salzburg, McIlvane served as an assistant for EHC Red Bull Munich in Germany, where the team won three championships during his tenure.
There’s more on McIlvane. In 2018, while an assistant for Red Bull Munich, he received a phone call. Marco Sturm needed an assistant coach to join his staff on the bench for Team Germany as they were heading to Pyeongchang in a couple of days. Matt McIlvane stepped into the spot, and Germany ultimately won the silver medal. When McIlvane got hired to San Diego, the Orange County Register quoted Sturm saying, “He checked all the boxes for me without even knowing him. We clicked right away.” Sturm even went as far as to say, “I always told him – and hopefully he feels the same way – if I’m going to be a head coach somewhere, I would definitely get him on my team, on my coaching staff, that’s how much I like him.”
In Tuesday’s press conference, Sturm mentioned that he wanted someone “who checks all those kinds of boxes we needed” – words he has used to describe McIlvane in the past. McIlvane ran the penalty kill for Germany in 2018, coming in as a last-minute replacement for Tobias Abstreiter. However, he is young and has grown in all facets of the game throughout his time in Salzburg, Austria, and San Diego, California. McIlvane’s connection with Sturm and their success in Germany makes him an intriguing candidate for the assistant coaching job. Still, it would be an excellent opportunity for Matt McIlvane to leap into the NHL and join Marco Sturm in his first year leading an NHL bench.
Another experienced option with a power play pedigree is Todd Reirden. He has been a power play specialist who got his NHL start with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2011, leading the team’s power play to three consecutive top-five finishes from 2012 to 2014. He went to Washington and continued to put up top-ten power play numbers in the league, doing so every year he was an assistant coach. Yes, he was working with the likes of Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, but it would be a concern if those powerplays were not performing at a high rate. He was on the bench for the Capitals’ 2018 Stanley Cup victory and was then promoted to head coach that summer following the departure of Barry Trotz.
Reirden lasted two seasons leading the bench in Washington before being dismissed after consecutive first-round exits. He returned to the Penguins and assumed the role of power play coach again. Over four years, the Penguins’ power play performed at a 19.9% rate; however, this number was significantly impacted by a brutal 2023-24 season, during which the Penguins went 15.3% on the man advantage. Reirden was dismissed and has not found a job in the NHL since.
Recently let go by the New York Rangers, Phil Housley, a Hall of Fame defenseman, has coached with four NHL organizations and has twice led Team USA at the World Juniors. The Coyotes hired Housley in 2019 as a defense and power play coach, and his numbers were below average during the three seasons – producing at a 17.9% rate. However, his track record of developing offensive defensemen is noteworthy – and was highlighted in Nashville. His experience and teaching style could benefit offensive defensemen, such as Mason Lohrei, as he continues to develop.
Beyond those names with power play experience, several other coaches with NHL or local ties should also merit consideration. The New Jersey Devils recently released Ryan McGill, even though he has led a top-10 penalty kill every year during his three seasons in New Jersey. Before his time in Newark, he spent five years with the Vegas Golden Knights – joining them on a run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2018. Although there is an argument that his time in New Jersey was successful, Ryan McGill is currently seeking his next shot behind an NHL bench.
Longtime head coach Peter Laviolette was born in Franklin and attended Westfield State University. Laviolette won the Calder Cup as the head coach of the Providence Bruins in 1999 and was the Boston Bruins assistant coach during the 2000-01 season, with that season being the only time Laviolette served as an NHL assistant coach. If he does not land in Dallas, could the Bruins come calling to reunite with Laviolette – picking it back up where it all began?
Arlington-native Greg Cronin expressed interest in the Bruins head coaching vacancy earlier this summer. He specialized in the penalty kill during his time with the Islanders. While in Anaheim, he oversaw but did not run the Ducks’ power play, which had a success rate of 14.9%. The former Ducks head coach has numerous ties to this city, but the most notable is his tenure as the Northeastern Huskies head coach from 2005 to 2011, during which he won the 2009 Hockey East Coach of the Year award.
Marco Sturm’s assistant coaches in Ontario were Chris Hajt and Brad Schuler. Hajt worked with the Reign defense and penalty kill. Hajt has been a part of the Kings organization since the 2014-15 season, except for two seasons where he coached on the Sabres staff. Brad Schuler began his coaching career at Middlebury College and later joined the University of Maine before becoming an assistant coach with the ECHL’s Manchester Monarchs. He has been an assistant coach for the Kings’ minor league clubs since the 2018-19 season.
Do we have the answer in Providence? The P-Bruins posted a 3rd-ranked power play this season at 21.4% and an 85.7% showing on the penalty kill. Head coach Ryan Mougenel has been coaching the team since the 2021-22 season – picking up a 159-87-38 record and an Atlantic Division championship. The individual who focused on power plays, however, was Matt Thomas, and he has since moved on from the organization after being named the head coach of his alma mater, RIT.
Bruins fans are likely wondering about Mark Recchi and Marc Savard, both of whom are experienced NHL assistant coaches with power-play experience and ties to the Bruins organization. Mark Recchi saw success in his first two seasons with the Penguins power play, finishing first and fifth in the league, respectively. From there, Recchi’s power play rate never exceeded 20%. His last gig was with the Blue Jackets in the 2023-24 season, where the power play he led produced a 15.1% rate, ranking 31st in the league. Marc Savard ran the power play for Toronto this season, and it finished ninth in the NHL at a 24.8% rate; however, the Maple Leafs still employ him.
Although the move would be popular amongst fans, Patrice Bergeron has made it clear that he is not looking to pursue coaching. Sturm’s old teammate did join the new head coach on Tuesday for the introductory press conference.
Whoever fills out Marco Sturm’s staff will have a significant impact on how this next chapter of Bruins hockey unfolds. The power play needs attention, but it is just as crucial that the Bruins find a coach who will fit Sturm, Leach, Kelly, and Essensa in the room. There is no shortage of qualified names with NHL experience, such as Granato or Reirden. Or, a candidate who has a strong connection to Sturm, such as Matt McIlvane, who is looking for his first jump to the NHL. The right hire could go a long way in setting the tone for Sturm’s first season behind an NHL bench.
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