The San Jose Sharks were granted permission to speak with Ontario Reign's head coach
The San Jose Sharks were granted permission to speak with the Los Angeles Kings AHL affiliate Ontario Reigns head coach, Marco Sturm.
Many Sharks fans will remember Sturm from his playing days with the organization from 1991–2006. He was a first-round pick of the teams in 1996 before becoming a mainstay in the lineup alongside Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, and so many others for years.
The Sharks are currently searching for a new head coach after letting David Quinn go after two poor seasons. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of blame to be placed on Quinn because of how badly the roster was constructed.
Now, the Sharks are looking for his replacement, who will be tasked with turning around the organization and getting them back on track to be the team that many have loved.
If Sturm is selected as the new head coach, he will be coaching a team that has the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL draft and will likely draft Macklin Celebrini, who was born in Canada but grew up in the Bay Area and was a fan of the Sharks.
Aside from the biggest names in Sharks' history like the aforementioned Thornton and Marleau, there aren't many better candidates who will understand what it is like to be drafted by the franchise and can help guide this team to success.
This year with the Ontario Reign, Sturm had a 44-27-11 record, which was good for 99 points. In the playoffs, they started 5-0 but were then swept by the Coachella Valley Firebirds, ultimately ending their season.
Only time will tell, but if Sturm is hired as the Sharks' newest head coach, it will be bittersweet for the Kings and Reigns fans.
On one hand, he is a promising head coach who was likely looked at to be the newest Kings' coach, but they ultimately went with Jim Hiller. On the other hand, it will be awesome to see him move up and coach at the highest level, the NHL, with the team that brought him into the NHL.