NHL coaching carousel 2025: Bruins hire Marco Sturm after missing playoffs for first time since 2016

The Boston Bruins have finally filled their coaching vacancy as the team hired Marco Sturm to be the team’s next coach, per a team announcement. 

“I’m incredibly honored to be named head coach of the Boston Bruins,” Sturm said in a statement. “I want to thank Charlie Jacobs and the Jacobs family, Cam Neely, and Don Sweeney for trusting me with this opportunity. Boston has always held a special place in my heart, and I know how much this team means to the city and to our fans. I’ve felt that passion as a player, and I can’t wait to be behind the bench and feel it again. I’m excited to get to work and do everything I can to help this team succeed.”

Sturm has spent the last three seasons of the AHL’s Ontario Reign, who is the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings. During that time, Sturm led the Reign to a 119-80-11-6 record and qualified for the playoffs in all three of those campaigns. Prior to that, Sturm served as a Kings assistant from 2018-22. 

The 46-year-old also logged 14 seasons as a player as he suited up for six different NHL teams, including spending five seasons with the Bruins. Sturm registered 242 goals and 245 assists in 938 career games. The former Bruins forward was selected by the San Jose Sharks with the No. 21 pick in the 1996 NHL Draft and also played for the Florida Panthers, Washington Capitals, Vancouver Canucks and Kings.

Elsewhere around the coaching carousel, the Pittsburgh Penguins hired former New York Rangers assistant Dan Muse as the team’s next coach. In addition, the Seattle Kraken brought in former New York Islanders coach Lane Lambert, the Canucks promoted assistant Adam Foote and Rick Tocchet returned to the Philadelphia Flyers as the franchise’s new coach.

With Sturm being hired, all of the NHL’s coaching vacancies have been filled.