New Jersey Devils coaching staff includes 1. Lindy Ruff 2. Travis Green 3. Ryan McGill 4. Chris Taylor 5. Sergei Brylin 6. Dave Rogalski.
Lindy Ruff was announced as the 19th head coach of the Devils on July 9, 2020. He has changed the fortune of the team in the last three seasons.
Ruff along with his associates has led the team to finish 2nd in the Metropolitan division during the 2022-23 season while securing the first playoff berth since 2018. Thus, the Devils have retained him for the upcoming season.
NJ Devils coach fired John Hynes on 30 May 2023. After his dismissal, Alain Nasreddine was promoted as the interim head coach of the team.
When Ruff was hired by the team, Nasreddine was retained as the assistant coach. He remained with the team until his contract expired in 2022.
New Jersey Devils Head Coach
New Jersey Devils Head Coach Lindy Ruff is the 2023 Jack Adams Award finalist. He is a former NHL defenseman and left-wing as well.
Ruff began his professional hockey journey as the 32nd overall pick of the Buffalo Sabres in the 1979 NHL Draft. He spent 10 seasons with the franchise and served as their captain for almost 3 years.
In 1989, Lindy was traded to NY Rangers where he remained for 3 years. He was chosen for the position of assistant coach of the Panthers in the 1993-94 season.
Buffalo Sabres hired Ruff as their head coach on 21 July 1997. He took the team to multiple successes including the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals.
Lindy was handed the 2006 Jack Adams Award for his achievements with the team. With the Sabres, he won over 500 games and coached over 1000 games.
Buffalo relieved Ruff of his duties in 2013 and Stars immediately hired him. The 63-year-old led the team to their first playoff selection since 2008. His contract with the franchise expired in 2017.
Lindy briefly served as the assistant coach of the Rangers before being employed by New Jersey. He has managed to bring the Devils hockey team back on track.
NJ Devils head coach Ruff ranks 5th in the list of winningest coaches with 832 wins until 2023. The Devils have retained him for the 2023-24 season.
NJ Devils Assistant Coaches
NJ Devils coaching staff includes assistant coaches Ryan McGill, Chris Taylor, and Sergei Brylin. Dave Rogalski serves as the goaltending coach.
There are five other members on New Jersey's training staff except for the head coach. Their primary role is to support the lead trainer in the goals and targets set for the team.
Talking about the hierarchy, the associate coach holds the highest position. In the absence of a head coach, they take on the leading duties.
Travis Green
Travis Green holds the position of associate coach for the NJ Devils. Previously, he served as the head coach of the Canucks for five seasons.
Green got his start in the NHL as a forward for the Islanders. In the 16 NHL seasons with five different teams, he recorded 455 points and played 970 games.
The 52-year-old embarked on a coaching journey with the Portland Winterhawks in 2008. Following that, the Utica Comets of the AHL hired him in 2013 as their primary coach.
In 2017, Comet's major league affiliate Canucks picked him as their leading trainer. Though he led the team to a progressive record, he was fired in December 2021.
Ryan McGill
Former defenseman Ryan McGill played 151 games in the NHL. He was associated with Blackhawks, Flyers, and Oilers in his playing career.
When McGill was with the Oilers, he was hit by a puck in the left eye. The incident made him legally blind and he was forced to retire.
Ryan's love for sports brought him back to the arena as an assistant coach of the Edmonton Ice. A year later, he was hired by Calgary Flames.
Alberta native McGill has served as the head coach of Kootenay Ice and Owen Sound Attack. He had a brief stint with the Golden Knights as their assistant coach in 2017.
Moreover, Ryan is also the winner of the 2017 Matt Leyden Trophy. He has been a vital member of the Devils coaching unit since 29 July 2022.
Chris Taylor
Chris Taylor joined the ice hockey team of New Jersey back in 2020. He is a former athlete who played 149 NHL games in 8 seasons.
Taylor started training young athletes in 2011 with the Rochester Americans. He was gradually promoted to the team's assistant trainer.
However, he was not retained by Rochester in 2016. That's why he joined the Penguins minor league affiliate Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton Penguins.
Taylor was named the head coach of the Americans in 2017. For the 2019-20 season, Buffalo Sabres hired him as their interim assistant coach.
Sergei Brylin
NJ Devils new coach Sergei Brylin boasts a strong resume as a former player. He won three Stanley Cup with the Devils in 1995, 2000, and 2003.
Brylin has a solid playing record of 308 points in 765 games. However, he secured a bronze for Russia in the 2007 IIHF World Championships.
Standing at 5 feet 10 inches, Sergei began his journey as a coach in the 2012-13 season. He initially trained the NJ minor league affiliates.
Brylin led Utica Comets to 13 consecutive wins in the 2021-22 season. The record impressed the Devils after which they named him assistant coach on 18 August 2022.
Dave Rogalski
Dave Rogalski is the goaltending coach of the NHL team based in New Jersey. He joined Lindy Ruff's coaching unit on 23 October 2020.
Rogalski was a collegiate ice hockey athlete at St. Mary's University. He was a netminder for two seasons where he recorded a .880 save percentage.
Dave started coaching professionally in 2010 with St. Cloud State University. In 2016, he was named the netminding consultant of Sioux Falls.
Blues of the NHL hired him as their goaltender development coach before the 2017-18 season. He worked with the team for three seasons.
New Jersey Devils General Manager
NJ Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald is a former right winger in NHL. He played a total of 1097 games across 17 seasons in the league.
Fitzgerald represented 7 National Hockey League teams in his career. He announced his retirement from playing on 12 September 2006.
The 54-year-old hockey executive was a sports analyst at NESN after retirement. He left the channel when he was hired as the director of player development for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Tom then assisted in coaching the US national team for Deutschland Cup. Following that, he served as an assistant GM of the Penguins.
In 2015, Fitzgerald was hired by New Jersey as their assistant general manager. In 2020, he briefly landed as interim general manager. Tom kept on climbing the ladder gradually and became the executive vice president and general manager later that year.
NJ Devils Coaches Over The Years
NJ Devils coaches over the years include Jacques Lemaire, Doug Carpenter, Pat Burns, Lou Lamoriello, Pat Burns, and Larry Robinson.
Bill MacMillan was the first coach of the team after their relocation to New Jersey in 1982. By now, the Devils have bid farewell to 18 coaches.
Jacques, Pat, and Larry are the only coaches who have led the team to Stanley Cup victories. Among all, Lemaire has a record of all-time wins and games coached.
John MacLean and Bobby Carpenter's names have been enshrined with great glory in the Stanley Cup as the coach and player of the Devils.
