VEGAS (June 17, 2026): Vegas Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon announced today, June 17, that Ryan Craig has been named the team’s head coach. Craig becomes the fifth head coach in Vegas’ history.
Craig, 44, spent the past three seasons serving as head coach of the organization’s affiliate in the American Hockey League, the Henderson Silver Knights. With Craig at the helm, Henderson saw their win total increase following each season with Craig behind the bench, earning 28 (2023-24), 29 (2024-25), and 39 (2025-26) victories. The Silver Knights finished the 2025-26 regular season with a record of 39-21-12 and 90 points, establishing franchise records in the team’s six years spent in Henderson. This spring, Craig and the Silver Knights advanced to the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs before falling to the Colorado Eagles.
Prior to his tenure as head coach in Henderson, Craig served as an assistant coach with the Golden Knights for six seasons, from 2017 to 2023. The native of Abbotsford, British Columbia lifted the Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2023, his final season as an assistant coach. Craig helped the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in five of the six seasons he was with Vegas.
Prior to beginning his coaching career, Craig played eight years in the NHL, totaling 198 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets. The forward also played in 711 AHL games and served as captain on nine teams, including the 2015-16 Calder Cup Champion Lake Erie Monsters.
Craig played five seasons (1998-2003) for the Western Hockey League’s Brandon Wheat Kings, where McCrimmon was the team’s owner and general manager. He led the team in scoring twice and served as captain for two years. In the 2002-03 season, Craig was named to the WHL East First All-Star Team and was the Humanitarian of the Year in both the Canadian Hockey League and Western Hockey League.
Craig was drafted in the eighth-round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by Tampa Bay.
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The Vegas Golden Knights are a National Hockey League franchise owned and operated by Black Knight Sports and Entertainment LLC. Established by Owner and Chairman Bill Foley and his family, the Golden Knights were the most successful expansion franchise in North American professional sports history in 2017-18 and won the Stanley Cup in 2022-23. For the latest news and information on the Golden Knights visit vegasgoldenknights.com and follow the team on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.
