Gruden becomes the eight head coach in Marlies history.
The Toronto Marlies have found their new head coach.
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that John Gruden will serve as bench boss of the club's AHL affiliate.
The 53-year-old joins the Marlies after serving as assistant coach with the Boston Bruins this past season. He was an assistant coach with the New York Islanders from 2018-22 with the New York Islanders.
Prior to coaching in the NHL, Gruden served as head coach of the Hamilton Bulldogs in the Ontario Hockey League. He led the club to the 2018 OHL Championship and had a record of 76-45-8-7 through two seasons (2016-18).
"We're very pleased to name John as the Head Coach of the Toronto Marlies," said Ryan Hardy, Maple Leafs Assistant General Manager, Minor League Operations in a team statement. "John has supported the development and performance of his players throughout his coaching career while delivering team success at every level. His resume from the U.S. National Team Development Program to the OHL and eventually the NHL has armed him with a wealth of knowledge and experience that will be invaluable to both players and staff."
The Marlies were in search of a new coaching staff after dismissing previous head coach Greg Moore and assistants A.J. MacLean and John Snowden. The news came on the same day thet club parted ways with former Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas.
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