Daniel Alfredsson among three hirings to Leafs’ coach staff
A rival appears to be crossing enemy lines.
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Tuesday that longtime Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson will be joining the team as an associate coach. In addition, the Leafs hired John Gruden and Brad Werenka as assistant coaches. Elliotte Friedman first reported the news on Alfredsson joining the Leafs.
John Gruden, Daniel Alfredsson and Brad Werenka have been named to our coaching staff
The three will be joining the staff of the incoming head coach Jim Hiller, who was hired by the Leafs in June. At this point in time, the specific roles for the three of them is not known. Along with this news, Toronto confirmed that Derek LaLonde and Mike van Ryn, who were assistant coaches under previous head coach Craig Berube, would not be returning to the team.
“I’m incredibly excited to add Daniel, John and Brad to our coaching staff,” Hiller said in a statement released by the Leafs. “Daniel’s experience, leadership and understanding of the game speak for themselves. John has established himself as one of the top coaches in the American Hockey League and played an instrumental role in leading the Marlies to a Calder Cup championship last season. Brad brings a unique combination of NHL experience, player development and expertise in performance analytics. Together, they’ll be outstanding additions to our team.”
Alfredsson had spent the past three seasons on the Senators’ coaching staff as an assistant coach, as well as a development coach in the 2023-24 season. He had also worked with the Senators as a senior advisor from 2015 to 2017. Internationally, he’s worked with Sweden in various roles for various tournaments, including as an assistant coach for the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Alfredsson is better known for his time as a player, where he was a longtime rival to the Leafs with the Senators in the Battle of Ontario. In 17 seasons with the Senators and one with the Detroit Red Wings, he had 444 goals and 713 assists for 1,157 points in 1,246 regular season games and 51 goals and 49 assists for 100 points in 124 playoff games. He also won the Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie in 1996.
Gruden is more of a promotion than a hiring, as he had spent the last three seasons in the Leafs organization as the head coach of the Toronto Marlies, highlighted by the team’s Calder Cup win last season. He has some NHL experience as an assistant coach, doing so with the New York Islanders from 2018 to 2022 and with the Boston Bruins in 2022-23.
Werenka will get his first taste of NHL coaching experience with the Leafs, as up to this point, his notable coaching role was as an assistant coach with the Calgary Dinos, the U-Sports hockey team for the University of Calgary, from 2023 to 2026.