Troy Ryan addressed media for the first time after being hired as the new coach and general manager of PWHL San Jose. He has "no concerns" over the power dynamic his new dual role holds, and is excited to "extend" himself professionally.
When PWHL San Jose was founded, the league appointed Troy Ryan as both head coach and general manager. The former Toronto Sceptres and Team Canada head coach is the only person in all of North America's big-five sports to hold a dual role, giving him unquestioned power within the organization.
Ryan doesn't ascribe to those concerns.
"Some people's concerns with it...Obviously, I have no concerns with it," said Ryan.
Ryan said he will hire another individual into a key leadership role in the organization to aid him but said "we haven't completely figured out exactly how I will develop the organizational charts from a hockey operations perspective."
Ryan pointed to the fact the league oversees all teams under the PWHL's single-entity ownership, which to him answers the concern of "too much power."
"As far as the too much power is concerned, you know, the amazing thing about this (league) is the support that it has around the individual people. Any concerns with any players, the staff and the athletes, you know the majority of our athletes coming into the league or existing in the league have quality certified player agents through the Players Association. So the support, I think, although in other leagues, maybe doesn't run as deep as it does in the PWHL, I don't foresee it being a problem."
Ryan also stated that if the dual role isn't working, he'd reassess the dual role and look to make changes. It's difficult to know how this would work however, as Ryan will be the only one in the organization assessing success until players and staff are able to fill out their annual reviews at the conclusion of the season. Still, Ryan said if it wasn't working, he'd be open to change.
"Obviously, like any good GM, there's going to be constant reflection, he said "If this is the right fit and carrying the dual role, then we will continue and move forward, and if it's not the right fit for this organization, we definitely will be very quick to make adjustments. But excited about the opportunity, and I think it's going to be a great opportunity for me."
For Ryan himself, he knows coaches have a lifespan. In professional sport, coaches often stay in one market and move on elsewhere when a new approach is needed. The move to GM with PWHL San Jose was part of his own career journey, and an opportunity to extend his hockey career beyond his coaching tenure, which just ended with Team Canada, and had run its course in Toronto.
"It's something that I've thought long and hard of over the years," said Ryan.
"I think a big part of it is just trying to find a way to grow professionally, so extend myself a little bit professionally, I think, was really important to me," he continued. "I've seen a lot of coaches through hockey. I've seen a lot of coaches through different sports, maybe grind it out to the point where they're no longer wanted or no longer needed. I think it was really important for me to to branch off professionally a little bit and take on the role in more of a management situation. I think it's something that, although I've done it before at many different levels, I'm really excited to grow within the professional women's league. So I think that was probably the biggest thing, is just, you know, the opportunity to grow a little bit professionally, potentially extend my career is exciting, and then the opportunity to do this in a market like the Bay Area and San Jose was just something that couldn't pass up.
Ryan is set to begin the roster building process in Phase 2 of the PWHL expansion process. He'll also look to plan for the June 17 PWHL Draft and take steps to put in place the remainder of his coaching and hockey operations staff.