The Ducks announced today that the club has named Jay Woodcroft, Ryan McGill and Andrew Brewer Assistant Coaches. The hirings complete Anaheim’s 2025-26 coaching staff, led by Head Coach Joel Quenneville. Woodcroft, McGill and Brewer join Tim Army (Assistant Coach), Peter Budaj (Goaltending Coach), and Austin Violette (Video Coordinator). In addition, the San Diego Gulls have named Dave Manson and Michael Babcock Assistant coaches for Anaheim’s primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Woodcroft, 48, brings nearly 20 years of coaching experience in the NHL, helping clubs to a Stanley Cup championship, five Western Conference Final appearances and three Presidents’ Trophies. Woodcroft joins Anaheim after serving as Head Coach of the Edmonton Oilers across three seasons from 2022-24, leading the club to a 79-41-13 record in 133 regular-season games. He also guided Edmonton to the 2022 Western Conference Final after leading the club to a 26-9-3 record upon his midseason hiring Feb. 10, 2022.
In 2022-23, Woodcroft and the Oilers set an NHL record with the top power play in NHL history at 32.4% (89-for-275). The Oilers became the first team in NHL history to have four players each score 15 power-play goals in a season (Draisaitl, 32; McDavid, 21; Zach Hyman and Nugent-Hopkins, 15). Prior to leading Edmonton, Woodcroft spent the prior seven seasons in the Oilers organization, including four as Head Coach of the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors (2018-22) and three as Edmonton’s Assistant Coach (2015-18). He led Bakersfield to a 105-71-21 record, two Pacific Division titles (2018-19 and 2020-21) and a 3-1 postseason series record.
In his 10 seasons as an NHL Assistant Coach, Woodcroft has led his club’s respective power plays to top five finishes among NHL clubs in seven seasons. Woodcroft spent seven seasons as an Assistant Coach with the San Jose Sharks from 2008-15, including consecutive Western Conference Final appearances in 2010 and 2011. He helped Detroit win the Stanley Cup in 2008 while serving as Video Coach with the Red Wings from 2005-08, which also included a trip to the 2007 Western Conference Final.
A native of Toronto, Ontario, Woodcroft served as an Assistant Coach for Canada at the 2015 World Championship (gold medal) and 2024 World Championship. He also was an Assistant Coach for Team North America at the 2016 World Cup. Woodcroft graduated with a degree in finance from the University of Alabama-Huntsville, where he also played four seasons and was an Academic All-American.
McGill, 56, brings more than 25 years of coaching experience, including 10 as an assistant coach in the NHL. McGill most recently served as an Assistant Coach for the New Jersey Devils (2022-25) and Vegas Golden Knights (2017-22).
With New Jersey, McGill helped the Devils penalty kill rank second in 2024-25 (82.7%) and fourth in 2022-23 (82.6%). McGill helped Vegas become the first NHL expansion team to reach the Stanley Cup Final (2017-18) since St. Louis in 1967-68. Vegas reached three Western Conference Finals (2018, 2020, 2021) and the Stanley Cup Playoffs in four of the team’s first five seasons while McGill led the Golden Knights penalty kill to the NHL’s best mark in 2020-21 (86.8%).
McGill also spent two seasons as an Assistant Coach with Calgary from 2009-11. Prior to his promotion to Calgary’s NHL bench, he spent seven straight seasons as an AHL Head Coach, including Calgary’s primary development affiliates in Quad City (2007-08) and Omaha (2005-07), in addition to leading Hartford from 2003-05.
McGill was a Head Coach in the Canadian Hockey League for nine seasons, compiling a 349-227-64 record (.595%). He was named the Western Hockey League (WHL) Coach of the Year in 2012-13 with Kootenay and Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Coach of the Year in 2016-17 with Owen Sound. While Head Coach of Kootenay (1997-02 and 2012-15), he led the club to a Memorial Cup championship in 2002, and WHL championships in 2000 and 2002. He spent two seasons as Head Coach at Owen Sound from 2015-17. He began his coaching career as an Assistant Coach for the WHL’s Edmonton Ice from 1996-98.
The Sherwood Park, Alberta native also served as Canada’s Assistant Coach at the 2014 World Junior Championship. Selected by Chicago in the second round (29th overall) of the 1987 NHL Draft, McGill earned 4-15=19 points with 391 penalty minutes in 151 career NHL games as a defenseman with Chicago, Philadelphia and Edmonton. He also spent parts of five seasons playing professionally in the AHL and International Hockey League.
Brewer, 39, has 15 years of coaching experience, including eight in the NHL. He most recently served as an Assistant Coach with the Utica Comets of the AHL in 2022-23 where he oversaw the power play and the development of the team’s young forwards.
Brewer spent two seasons as the Florida Panthers Video Coach from 2020-22, helping the team to the 2021-22 President’s Trophy and playoff appearances in both seasons. He also was an Assistant Coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs for five seasons (2015-20), where the team qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in four of his five seasons with the club. He also served as Detroit’s Video Coach in 2014-15.
The Moncton, New Brunswick native served as Hockey Canada’s Video Coach from 2011-14, helping his country win three gold medals, including the 2014 Olympics, 2016 World Cup of Hockey and 2016 World Championship. He also helped Canada to a bronze medal at the 2012 World Junior Championship. Overall, he worked three WJC and four World Championships. Prior to his professional hockey career, he spent three seasons as the University of New Brunswick Video Coach (2008-11) where the team won two Canadian Interuniversity championships (2009 and 2011).
Manson, 58, brings 20-plus years of coaching experience in both professional and junior hockey. He joins San Diego after spending the 2024-25 season as an Assistant Coach for the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL.
Manson spent parts of the three seasons as Assistant Coach with the Edmonton Oilers from 2022-24 with Woodcroft after being promoted from the same role with the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Feb. 10, 2022. With Edmonton, Manson helped the club reach the 2022 Western Conference Final.
Prior to his role with Edmonton, Manson spent four AHL seasons as Assistant Coach with Bakersfield from 2018-22, helping the club to two Pacific Division titles (2019 and 2021). He aided in the development of numerous defensemen within the Oilers organization from the AHL to the NHL, including Evan Bouchard, Philip Broberg and Vincent Desharnais. Manson also served 14 seasons as a coach with the Prince Albert Raiders (WHL), including six as an Associate Coach (2012-18) and eight as Assistant Coach (2002-09 and 2011-12).
Originally selected by Chicago in the first round (11th overall) of the 1985 NHL Draft, the Prince Albert, Saskatchewan native appeared in 1,103 career NHL games for Chicago, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Phoenix, Montreal, Dallas, and Toronto across 16 seasons. The defenseman recorded 102-288=390 points with the 13th-most penalty minutes in NHL history (2,792).
His son, Josh, was selected by Anaheim in the sixth round (160th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft and spent eight seasons with the Ducks. Josh helped the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 2022.
Babcock, 30, joins the Ducks organization after spending the last two seasons with the St. Louis Blues as a Skills Coach from 2023-25. Prior to his stint with the Blues, Babcock spent 2022-23 with the Ottawa Senator where he aided the coaching staff in developing game plans, pre-scouting, and in on-ice skill development.
Babcock spent two seasons with the University of Saskatchewan (2021-23), overseeing the club’s defense and power play. The Huskies power play ranked second in the nation among Canadian USports teams at 28.1%.
Prior to his coaching career, Babcock played four seasons of collegiate hockey at Merrimack College (Hockey East), from 2015-19, serving as the club’s captain in 2018-19 as a senior. The Northville, Mich. native played one professional season with Amiens of the French Ligue Magnus (France’s top division), helping the team win the Coupe de France championship in 2019.
His father, Mike, served as Head Coach of Anaheim from 2002-04, helping the club to the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals while he also coached the organization’s primary development affiliate in the AHL in Cincinnati for two seasons (2000-02). He won a Stanley Cup as head coach of Detroit in 2008 and coached Canada to Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014.
