The San Jose Sharks have made some changes to their hockey operations department.

As per general manager Mike Grier, these are the changes that were made:

Hockey Operations Additions:

Joe Thornton - Player Development Coach/Hockey Operations Advisor

Owen Hixon – Equipment Manager Assistant

New Roles & Titles:

Charlie Townsend – Director of Hockey Operations

AJ Bernstein – Hockey Operations, Strategy and Data Analyst

Dylan Finan – Hockey Operations, Scouting Coordinator

Jon Hull – Head USA Amateur Scout

Tim LeRoy – Assistant Equipment Manager

Thomas Vanek – Hockey Operations Advisor

Former Sharks Tough Guy Signs With The Lightning Former San Jose Sharks enforcer Scott Sabourin has signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning on a one-year, two-way deal.

Among all the changes, the biggest one is Jumbo Joe Thornton, who now joins the organization as a Player Development Coach/Hockey Operations Advisor. He retired after the 2021-22 season and scored 1,539 points in 1,714 games. He joins Patrick Marleau as one of the only players to have their jersey hung in the rafters at the SAP Center.

Additionally, former Buffalo Sabres forward Thomas Vanek is also joining the front office. He played in 1,029 games and scored 789 points. He will be taking on the role of Hockey Operations Advisor alongside Thornton.

The Sharks are making a ton of changes to better their organization. Between these moves in the front office and everything they've done on the ice, Grier is clearly trying his hardest to get this team back to its winning ways.

Former San Jose Sharks Forward Signs With San Diego Gulls Former San Jose Sharks forward Justin Bailey has signed an American Hockey League contract with the San Diego Gulls for the 2025-26 season.

Former Sharks Forward Changes Representation Amid Free Agency A former member of the San Jose Sharks has changed representation. Shumi Babaev announced that Klim Kostin has joined his company, the Shumi Agency, and he will represent the Russian forward moving forward.

Sharks Re-Sign Defenseman Jack Thompson To One-Year Contract The San Jose Sharks have re-signed defenseman Jack Thompson to a one-year, two-way deal that will take him to restricted free agency once again next summer.

Jeff Skinner Discusses Joining the Sharks, What He Brings To The Table Jeff Skinner met with the San Jose media for the first time since joining the San Jose Sharks as a <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/san-jose-sharks/latest-news/breaking-sharks-sign-veteran-forward-jeff-skinner">free agent</a> last Friday. Skinner, who had a down season by his standard with the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers">Edmonton Oilers</a> in 2024-25, is excited to join a young Sharks team who are looking to take a step forward this fall. “I know there's a lot of young talent there, and I'm looking forward to getting to know the guys and helping contribute, as much as I can, to taking that next step.”

Ryan Reaves & Evander Kane Rivalry Reignites After Trade Over the last 25 years, there have been some very good rivalries between individual players. There's been Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, Martin Brodeur vs. Patrick Roy, and Kris Draper and Claude Lemieux. All were intense, memorable rivalries. But there’s another one that’s maybe a bit underrated, and possibly even forgotten, that’s about to get reignited after how the last few weeks have played out.