The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired Steve Sullivan as an assistant coach for the Toronto Marlies head coach, John Gruden. He joins a coaching staff that features assistant Michael Dyck, goalie coach Hannu Toivonen, and video coach Troy Paquette.
The Toronto Maple Leafs hired Sullivan to replace Rich Clune, who left for a coaching job in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks. Clune became an assistant coach with the Marlies last season after working for the Leafs in player development. Before Clune joined the Marlies, Eric Wellwood, a former player and head coach of the ECHL's Newfoundland Growlers as an assistant coach, held the Marlies position.
Wellwood went on medical leave in October and never returned to the team. That's when Clune joined the coaching staff. Wellwood wasn't mentioned in the Marlies' press release and is no longer listed as an assistant with the team, which one would assume means that he's no longer with the organization.
Sullivan joins the Marlies after four years as an assistant general manager of the Arizona Coyotes (2017-2021), managing the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners. Before that, the 50-year-old was a part of the Coyotes' development department and was the director during the 2016-17 season. The former player brings a ton of experience to the Marlies.
What Sullivan brings to the Marlies
Sullivan spent parts of four seasons in the Maple Leafs organization, playing 154 games and registering 35 goals and 50 assists for 85 points with the team from 1997 to 1999. Sullivan also played for the Nashville Predators, Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Phoenix Coyotes. (All stats from hockey-reference.com).
Sullivan is most famous for coming to the Leafs along with Jason Smith and Alyn McCauley in the trade that sent Doug Gilmour to New Jersey.
He finished his NHL career (16 seasons) in 2013 with 290 goals and 457 assists for 747 points in 1011 regular season games. The Timmins, Ontario native made seven trips to the NHL playoffs during his career. He registered nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points in 50 playoff games. Sullivan also won a Calder Cup with the AHL's Albany River Rats in 1995.
Adding someone like Sullivan to the Marlies coaching staff is a great move. Like Clune, Sullivan was well-liked as a player and has so much experience to fall back on when helping the next crop of Maple Leafs with their development. One of those players will be newly signed Alex Nylander, the brother of Leafs forward William Nylander.