Marco Sturm departs AHL-Ontario, named Head Coach of the Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins announced this morning that Marco Sturm has been named as the team’s newest Head Coach, concluding his time with the Kings organization.

Sturm has been the Head Coach of the Ontario Reign since 2022 and was with the Kings as an assistant coach from 2018-22. As the leader of the Reign, the team posted a 119-80-11-6 record, including a trip to the third round of the Calder Cup Playoffs in 2024. Sturm and the Reign won two series to advance to the Pacific Division finals, ultimately falling to the eventual Western Conference Champions, the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Sharing this anecdote from Jared Shafran, who worked closely with Marco over his three years with the Reign –

While the Reign did have team success under Sturm, finishing in third place in the Pacific Division each of the last two seasons with an impressive road points percentage of .653 in back-to-back years, it was equally as important to him that his players were prepared when they got a call from the Kings. Whether it was blueliners like Jordan Spence and Jacob Moverare who both played together for the majority of Sturm’s first season in Ontario, physical grinding style forwards like Andre Lee, Samuel Helenius and Jeff Malott, who all made an impact in LA this year, or even goaltenders such as Pheonix Copley and David Rittich, who were brought in to the organization as veteran No. 3 options and made their mark for the Kings, his players, who he affectionately referred to as “his kids”, were all ready to make an impact when their time came. Additionally, Marco was open and honest with the media both on practice days and after games, helping to share insight into his process and his expectations from the club. He was always happy to talk with others, loved highlighting his players success and appreciated his assistant coaches’ daily effort and preparation.

It’s the balance Jared mentions that is important. It was regularly commented on that players who came up to the Kings from the AHL were well prepared when they were recalled to the NHL. With Samuel Helenius and Andre Lee early in the season, Kings Head Coach Jim Hiller was complementary of the way those players were prepared to enter the fold at the NHL level, tipping his hat to the staff in Ontario for the work they put in to make sure that was the case. That’s the balance of an AHL coach. Winning games, very important, but also developing players and making sure they’re ready to go when the time comes for an NHL opportunity. Sturm did a good job with that balance during his time with the organization and it’s a deserving promotion for him as he departs for Boston.

As far as replacing Sturm, the search now begins. I would certainly believe that Chris Hajt would be in the mix for that position. Hajt has been an assistant coach with the Reign since 2019, when he returned to the organization from the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. In total, across two stints, Hajt has been with the Kings’ AHL club for 10 seasons, between Ontario and Manchester. Hajt assumed de-factor leadership of the Reign during the 2021-22 season when John Wroblewski left the team for a personal leave of absence and helped guide the team into the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. Hajt has worked primarily with the team’s defensemen and coached Mikey Anderson, Brandt Clarke, Sean Durzi, Jacob Moverare and Jordan Spence over the last few seasons, all of whom have graduated to the NHL.

John Hoven mentioned the name Jay Woodcroft on social media as well, when Sturm was going through the interview process. Woodcroft has ties with new Kings General Maanger Ken Holland dating back to Detroit. Woodcroft was the Head Coach of the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors when Holland was the General Manager of the Oilers and was promoted to be Holland’s NHL Head Coach with Edmonton midway through the 2021-22 season. He was also let go by Holland early in the 2023-24 season. Woodcroft’s Bakersfield teams were well prepared and difficult to play against, though the connection at this point is simply circumstantial between past linkage.

I’d expect the Kings to cast a wider net than just two individuals. I certainly hope that Hajt will get strong consideration for the work he’s put in, his past experience stepping up to lead the Reign and his loyalty to the organization. Sturm leaving, while it was finalized today, should not come as a surprise to anyone. He was publicly in the interviewing process with Boston and other teams, so there has likely already been some preliminary legwork done with regards to sourcing potential candidates to replace him, in the event he got an NHL opportunity. Now he has and that process begins for the Kings.

From the team’s official release –

Ontario Reign head coach Marco Sturm has accepted a new position as the head coach of the NHL’s Boston Bruins. The sixth head coach to serve for the LA Kings AHL affiliate in Manchester or Ontario completed his time behind the Reign’s bench with a record of 119-80-11-6.

During 2024-25, Sturm led Ontario to a third-place finish in the Pacific Division for the second consecutive year with a record of 43-25-3-1. The team’s 43 victories represented the second-highest win total in the club’s AHL history.

Sturm also led Ontario to two playoff series wins during the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs and a spot in the Pacific Division Finals after completing the 2023-24 regular season with a 42-23-3-4 record. The Reign appeared in the AHL’s postseason in all three of Sturm’s seasons with Ontario.

The Dingolfing, Germany native joined the Reign after spending four seasons as an assistant coach with the Kings from 2018-22. In 2021-22, Sturm helped the Kings earn their first playoff berth since 2017-18 with a third-place finish in the Pacific Division standings.

Before joining the Kings coaching staff, Sturm served as head coach and general manager for the German National Team from 2015-18. During that span, Sturm led his native Germany to unprecedented success, highlighted by a silver-medal finish at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

A veteran of 938 NHL games as a player, Sturm registered 487 points (242-245=487), a career plus-59 rating, and 446 penalty minutes over 14 NHL seasons. Originally drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the first round (21st overall) of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, Sturm went on to play for six different teams, including the Kings, Bruins, Sharks, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks, and Washington Capitals.