Leafs hire two assistant coaches and one of them is a former head coach
The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced the hiring of two new assistant coaches.
Guy Boucher and Mike Van Ryn have been brought in to complete head coach Sheldon Keefe’s staff for the upcoming season.
We’ve hired Guy Boucher and Mike Van Ryn as assistant coaches
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) July 20, 2023
Boucher has previous experience coaching the Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators, leading both teams to the Eastern Conference Final during his tenure. The 51-year-old also boasts an impressive international coaching record, having contributed to Canada’s gold medal win at the 2009 IIHF World Junior Championship and guiding the team to a gold medal at the 2015 Spengler Cup.
Van Ryn served as an assistant coach with the St. Louis Blues during their Stanley Cup victory in 2019. He recently served as head coach of the Arizona Coyotes’ AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners.
As a player, Van Ryn was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the first round (26th overall) of the 1998 NHL Draft. The London, Ontario, native went on to play 353 NHL games, briefly joining the Leafs in the 2008-2009 season before announcing his retirement.
Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe expressed his enthusiasm for the new hires on Thursday.
“One of my goals every offseason is to put together the best staff possible to help give us the greatest opportunity for team success,” said Keefe in a press release. “With Spencer Carbery’s departure to become the head coach of the Washington Capitals, I’m thrilled to add experienced and accomplished coaches like Guy and Mike, as well as how the roles and responsibilities will now be shared amongst our coaching staff moving forward.”