The vacant spot on the Sharks' coaching staff has been filled.
John MacLean has been hired as San Jose's new assistant coach, the team announced Tuesday. He will fill the opening created by former assistant coach Rocky Thompson's departure from the staff.
MacLean, 56, has an extensive NHL career as both a player and coach. He most recently spent three seasons (2017-2020) as an assistant coach with the Arizona Coyotes, and previously served as an assistant coach with the Carolina Hurricanes (2011-2014) and New Jersey Devils (2002-2009), which included capturing the 2003 Stanley Cup.
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A veteran of nearly 1200 NHL games (1,194), MacLean spent 18 seasons as a player with four different franchises, though most of it was spent with the New Jersey Devils, with whom he won the 1995 Stanley Cup. He also had a brief stint with the Sharks during the 1997-98 season. Over his entire playing career, he tallied 842 points (413 goals, 429 assists) and 1,328 penalty minutes.
"John's experience speaks for itself, and he checks a lot of the boxes we were hoping to fill with this role," Sharks coach Bob Boughner said of MacLean in a team statement. "He has won the Stanley Cup as a player and a coach and knows how to relate to today's player. In doing our diligence for this role, I spoke with many people, and everyone had great things to say about John as both a coach and a person. I'm excited to add him to our staff and look forward to having a great training camp as we prepare to start our season."
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MacLean's primary responsibilities with the Sharks will include working with the forwards and overseeing the power play. San Jose's power play (14.1 percent) ranked 29th out of 31 teams last season.