It appears new general manager Mike Grier has found his guy, as the Sharks are hiring David Quinn as their new head coach, San Jose Hockey Now's Sheng Peng confirmed Thursday evening.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported earlier Thursday that San Jose had been "zeroing in" on Quinn to be the 10th head coach in franchise history. He also reported that Pittsburgh Penguins assistant Mike Vellucci and Toronto Maple Leafs assistant Spencer Carbery were considered finalists for the position.
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Quinn, the current bench boss of the United States men's hockey team, has three years of experience as an NHL head coach. He led the New York Rangers from 2018-21, compiling a 96-87-25 record (.522 point percentage) over that span. The Rangers made one playoff appearance under his watch but were swept in three games by the Carolina Hurricanes.
Quinn was fired following the 2020-21 season, shortly after Chris Drury was brought in as the Rangers' new general manager.
Grier and Quinn both played collegiate hockey at Boston University in different eras -- the former from 1993-96 and the latter from 1984-87. Quinn coached the Terriers as the program's associate coach from 2004-09 and head coach from 2013-18.
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When Quinn was brought in by the Rangers in 2018, he was taking over a team that managed just 77 points and finished last in the Eastern Division. If officially hired, Quinn will undergo the task of leading the rebuilding Sharks back to the playoffs as the franchise endures a three-year postseason drought.
