Canucks have interviewed Marco Sturm for head-coaching job: report

Sturm is an intriguing candidate. For the past three seasons, the former San Jose Sharks star has been the head coach of the Ontario Reign, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings. He has guided his team to the playoffs each year, finishing third in the AHL’s Pacific Division in each of the past two seasons.

The furthest the Reign ever made it in the Calder Cup Playoffs, under Sturm, was the Pacific Division Final last spring, losing to the eventual Western Conference champion Coachella Valley Firebirds in a three-game sweep.

This year, Ontario was stunned by the sixth-seeded San Jose Barracuda in the First Round, getting swept in a best-of-three series, scoring just one goal in the process.

Prior to joining the Reign, Sturm served as an assistant coach for the Kings for four seasons, working alongside now-Detroit Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan.

Some think Sturm would be a favorite to be Los Angeles’ next bench boss if the organization decides to move on from current head coach Jim Hiller. That decision won’t likely come until the team hires a new general manager after the team and Rob Blake parted ways earlier this week.

Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Sturm had a long career in the NHL. Across his 14 seasons, the German centre scored 242 goals and 487 points in 938 games. He actually had a cup of coffee with the Canucks in the 2011-12 season. However, less than a month into the campaign, he was traded to the Florida Panthers, where he played out his remaining days in the NHL.

According to Sportsnet 650 host Satiar Shah, the Canucks have been holding phone and Zoom interviews this week, with in-person interviews supposedly happening next week.

The Canucks’ opening behind the bench came to be when the team announced that Rick Tocchet wouldn’t be returning for the 2025-26 season. The decision came after a rough campaign where Vancouver finished fifth in the Pacific Division, missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.