The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today changes to the club's coaching staff. Daniel Alfredsson has been appointed associate coach, while John Gruden and Brad Werenka have been named assistant coaches with the Maple Leafs. Mike Van Ryn and Derek Lalonde will not be returning as assistant coaches next season.
"I'm incredibly excited to add Daniel, John and Brad to our coaching staff," said Maple Leafs Head Coach Jim Hiller. "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, 53, joins Toronto after spending the past three seasons as an assistant coach with the Ottawa Senators. Prior to joining the bench staff, Alfredsson initially returned to the Senators organization in player development. Internationally, he serves as an assistant coach with the Swedish Men’s National Team.
Prior to his coaching career, the Gothenburg, Sweden native appeared in 1,246 regular season NHL games with Ottawa and Detroit, registering 1,157 points (444 goals, 713 assists). A six-time NHL All-Star, Alfredsson received the Calder Trophy in 1996 as Rookie of the Year, the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2012 for Leadership and Humanitarian Contributions, the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2013, and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team for 1995-96, as well as the NHL Second All-Star Team in 2005-06. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022.
Internationally, he represented Sweden at multiple levels, capturing gold at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Italy and silver at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Russia. He also won two silver medals (1995, 2004) and two bronze medals (1999, 2001) at the IIHF World Hockey Championships. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2018.
Gruden, 56, joins the Maple Leafs after spending the past three seasons as head coach of the Toronto Marlies, leading the club to a Calder Cup championship last season. Prior to joining the Marlies, he served as an assistant coach with the Boston Bruins during the 2022-23 season after four seasons with the New York Islanders. Before returning to the professional ranks, Gruden guided the Hamilton Bulldogs to the 2018 OHL Championship.
He began his coaching career with the U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL), helping Team USA win gold at the 2012 and 2014 IIHF U18 World Championships.
The Virginia, Minnesota native appeared in 92 NHL games and 175 AHL games after being selected by the Boston Bruins in the eighth round (168th overall) of the 1990 NHL Draft. Prior to turning professional, he recorded 104 points (40 goals, 64 assists) in 155 games at Ferris State University.
Werenka, 57, joins the Maple Leafs having most recently served as an assistant coach for the University of Calgary Dinos Men’s Hockey program from 2022-25. During his time with the University of Calgary, he helped the Dinos to a Canada West Men’s Hockey Championship in 2023. In addition to coaching at the USPORTS level, Werenka is a co-founder of TruPerformance, which specializes in sports performance data.
As a player, the Two Hills, Alberta native skated in 320 NHL games between Edmonton, Quebec, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Calgary, recording 80 points (19 goals, 61 assists). He also skated in 95 career AHL games with the Cape Breton Oilers and Cornwall Aces, recording 52 points (13 goals, 39 assists), before adding six goals and 30 assists in 33 career playoff games, capturing a Calder Cup in 1993 as a member of the Oilers. He earned a silver medal for Canada at the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Norway, and was named to the 1994 Olympic All-Star Team.
He was originally selected by Edmonton in the second round (42nd overall) of the 1987 NHL Draft.
