Toronto Marlies Name Steve Sullivan as Head Coach

The Toronto Marlies announced on Thursday that Steve Sullivan is their new head coach. He is replacing John Gruden, who was promoted to an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Gruden led the Marlies to a 2026 Calder Cup championship. He will be an asset for a Maple Leafs team that is incorporating younger players into a veteran-laden group.

Sullivan primarily oversaw the Maple Leafs’ power play, replacing Derek Lalonde, who was fired in December. Mark Giordano will join Sullivan’s staff as an assistant coach. Sullivan becomes the ninth head coach in Marlies’ history.

As a player, Sullivan registered 290 goals and 457 assists for 747 points in 1011 games. He played for the New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Phoenix Coyotes.

Toronto Continues to Overhaul

The Maple Leafs are continuing to overhaul their management team. Toronto is parting ways with assistant general manager Darryl Metcalf. Metcalf was responsible for hockey research and development, with an analytical driven approach to the game.

He joined the Maple Leafs as an analyst for the 2014-15 season. Metcalf was promoted to director of hockey research and development for the 2017-18 season. He was later promoted to assistant general manager for the 2022-23 season.

There’s been a massive overhaul from every level of the organization. After an extensive search led by MLSE CEO Keith Pelley, Chayka was hired as general manager. Toronto legend Mats Sundin is now a senior executive advisor to hockey operations.

Toronto fired head coach Craig Berube and replaced him with Jim Hiller. Hiller then rounded out his staff by adding Daniel Alfredsson as his associate coach; John Gruden was promoted from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, while Brad Werenka is an assistant coach.