Toronto Maple Leafs Hire Next Marlies Coach, John Gruden

Tuesday morning the Toronto Maple Leafs released through a press release that the Marlies new bench boss would be John Gruden.

The Toronto Maple Leafs needed to hire a new coaching staff after they announced in May that they would not be bringing back the current group.

Gruden served as an assistant coach with the Boston Bruins last year.

He held the same role for the New York Islanders for the four previous seasons.

Toronto Maple Leafs Hire Next Marlies Coach

Gruden had a long professional playing career that included playing 92 games in the NHL that was split between the Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals.

He was an eight round selection by the Bruins back in 1990 which led to an 11-year professional career after leaving Ferris State University.

While playing college hockey, Gruden was named as the USHL Defenseman of the Year, as well as a First-Team All-Star (credit: Eliteprospects.com).

After the lockout season in 2005, Gruden retired and got into head coaching high school hockey and eventually joined the U.S. National program as an assistant coach from 2011-2016 which included coaching Auston Matthews.

After his time in the U.S. program he joined the Flint Firebirds and eventually the Hamilton Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League where he won a Memorial Cup in 2018.  After winning the CHL Championship, Gruden earned assistant coach jobs with the New York Islanders and eventually last year with the Boston Bruins.

Gruden will take over for Greg Moore who had held the head coaching job with the Toronto Marlies since Sheldon Keefe was promoted to the Toronto Maple Leafs back in 2918.

Moore led the Marlies to the regular season North Division title this past season after failing to reach the playoffs in the two previous season.

The regular season success was short lived as the team failed to go deep in the playoffs and lost in the second round.

Next up for Gruden will be naming the rest of his coaching staff.