How Warsofsky will use his youth to his advantage as new Sharks coach originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
New Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky is the youngest bench boss in the NHL.
While he may not have the same experience as most of his peers, the 36-year-old former Calder Cup winner already has more than a decade under his belt as a coach.
But despite Warsofsky’s lack of NHL experience, his age offers an important potential advantage — one that could be especially important given the current state of the Sharks’ roster.
“I think I identify very well with this generation that’s coming up,” Warsofsky told NBC Sports California’s Brodie Brazil after Friday’s first round. the 2024 NHL Draft.
This new group of sharks presents Macklin Celebrini, 18 years old and Will Smith, 19 years old – the organization’s top picks in the last two drafts. In contrast to most other NHL coaches who are typically in their 50s, Warsofsky offers a much smaller generation gap between player and coach.
This relationship is now as important as ever, given everything today’s players face off the ice.
“I understand that there are many external influences in these players’ lives, from social media to agents and family,” highlighted Warsofsky. “It’s not just about putting on your skates, your helmet, your stick and you go out there and score 40 goals. It’s a difficult league to play in and there are a lot of external influences that we need to understand.
“We have to respect that and support these players.”
On the other hand, Warsofsky still offers a perspective similar to that of a wise and well-versed veteran player. He learned from the previous generation of NHL veterans, so he can combine that more old-fashioned point of view with his own, possibly more contemporary, style.
“I think I identify very well with that generation,” Warsofsky said, referring to teenagers Celebrini and Smith, “but I also have a little bit of myself in that older generation that helps push and challenge the players.”
In the end, the Sharks hope they found the best of both worlds in Warsofsky to make the most of their promising young talent.
