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The Toronto Maple Leafs have named John Gruden head coach of their American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.
Gruden becomes the eighth head coach in the club’s history. He joins the organization after spending the 2022-23 season as an assistant coach with the President’s Trophy winning Boston Bruins. He was also an assistant with the New York Islanders from 2018 to 2022, a tenure that included back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup semifinals in 2020 and 2021.
Gruden, 53, served as a head coach in the Ontario Hockey League for Flint (2015-16) and Hamilton (2016-18), winning the league championship during the 2017-18 season. He was an assistant with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, helping Team USA to gold medals at the U-18 World Championships in 2012 and 2014, and began his coaching career as head boys’ hockey coach at Brother Rice Prep School (2005-07) in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and at Stoney Creek (Mich.) High School (2007-10).
A native of Virginia, Minn., Gruden played professionally as a defenseman for 10 seasons following a four-year career at Ferris State University. He played 175 games in the AHL with the Providence Bruins and Grand Rapids Griffins, along with 92 NHL contests with Boston, Ottawa and Washington.
