McLellan Fills In Staff
San Jose Sharks Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson and Head Coach Todd McLellan announced today that Trent Yawney, Todd Richards and Jay Woodcroft will serve asassistant coaches on McLellan’s staff. In addition, Corey Schwab has been named as the organization’s goaltending development coach. In keeping with club policy, terms of the contracts were not disclosed.
Yawney, 42, most recently spent the 2007-08 season as a scout for the Anaheim Ducks. He also served as Head Coach of Team Canada at the World Under-18 Championships held in Finland, April 11-22, 2007.
“Trent has a vast experience as a player and as a coach,” said McLellan. “He’s also had some experience as a young head coach in Chicago and I think I will be able to tap into him for his knowledge in certain situations.”
A native of Hudson Bay, Sask., Yawney spent 14 seasons with the Blackhawks organization, most recently having served as the 35th head coach in their franchise history from 2005-2007. He posted a 33-55-15 record in just over one season as Chicago’s bench boss.
Before coaching the Blackhawks, Yawney served as the head coach for their American Hockey League affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals, for five seasons. Yawney was named the head coach of the Admirals on June 23, 2000, their inaugural season in the AHL. Under Yawney's guidance, Norfolk posted a 189-144-42-25 regular season record over five seasons while winning back-to-back South Division titles in 2001-02 and 2002-03. The Admirals made five consecutive playoff appearances and advanced to the conference semifinals twice while seeing over 50 players advance to the Blackhawks during that span. Yawney was honored by The Hockey News as their 2003-04 "Minor Pro Coach of the Year."
Yawney’s coaching experience began during the 1998-99 season. He played in 20 games with the Blackhawks before suffering a broken arm in January. Out for the season due to the injury, Yawney began assisting the Blackhawks coaching staff on an informal basis. Upon being named head coach in February, Lorne Molleken, a sharks assistant coach in 2001-02, formally named Yawney an assistant coach on February 22, 1999.
Yawney played in 593 career NHL games over 12 seasons with Chicago, Calgary and St. Louis. The defenseman collected 129 points (27 goals, 102 assists) along with 783 penalty minutes. He also appeared in 60 postseason contests, helping lead the Blackhawks into the Western Conference Finals in 1989 and 1990. Yawney was named as captain for Team Canada in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Nagano. He was originally drafted by the Blackhawks in the third round (45th overall) of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft.
Yawney was teammates in Chicago with Wilson from 1987-1991 and current Sharks forward Jeremy Roenick from 1988-1991 with the Blackhawks. He was also teammates with McLellan from 1983-1985 with the Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades.
Richards, 41, spent the last two seasons as the head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the top AHL development affiliate of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. During his tenure with Wilkes-Barren/Scranton, Richards coached his teams to a 98-50-5-8 overall record with two Calder Cup playoff appearances, including a trip to the finals last season.
“Todd is a young coach who in his tenure as a head coach had a tremendous amount of success,” said McLellan. “He’s won a championship in the AHL and has been to the finals three times so he knows what being a part of championship teams feels like. Todd also has a very good background as a player and his positive attitude will have a big impact on this team.”
The 2007-08 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins finished second overall in the AHL with 111 points in 80 games. The Penguins made it to their third Calder Cup Finals in their nine-year existence, but fell to the Chicago Wolves in six games. With a victory in Game Four of the Calder Cup Finals, Richards became Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s all-time playoff coaching wins leader with 18, passing current Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Michel Therrien.
Before joining the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Richards spent four seasons as an assistant with the Milwaukee Admirals. During that time the Admirals made four playoff appearances, advancing to the Calder Cup Finals twice. Milwaukee captured the 2004 AHL Championship by sweeping Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in four games.
Richards joined the Admirals coaching staff after a successful 13-year professional career that included championships in the International Hockey League, AHL and Swiss B league.
The Crystal, Minn. native was drafted by the Montreal Canadians in the second round (33rd overall) of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, and began his career with the club’s AHL affiliate in Sherbrooke during the 1989-90 season. The defenseman was traded to the Hartford Whalers (now Carolina Hurricans) the following season and spent most of that year playing for the Springfield Indians, helping to capture a Calder Cup title. He also made his NHL debut with the Whalers during that season, recording four assists and two penalty minutes in two games.
In 1994-95, Richards played for the IHL’s Las Vegas Thunder and was named the league’s top defender. After spending the next six seasons in the IHL, Richards concluded his playing career with Servette Geneve of Switzerland in 2001-02, helping the club to a Swiss B league title. He was again acknowledged for his on-ice efforts and captured the award as the league’s top defenseman.
Woodcroft, 31, spent the last three seasons as the video coach for the Detroit Red Wings. He worked closely with McLellan and the other Detroit coaches, watching games while on live headset and offering analysis. He controlled and managed the team's video capture and editing system and was responsible for presenting video breakdowns to staff and players during intermissions, as well as preparing video scouting reports for game preparation and breakdowns of situations and individual player performances for postgame review.
A native of Toronto, Ontario, Woodcroft will play a pivotal role in video breakdown and will serve as the team’s “eye in the sky” during games.
“Jay was a huge part of our success as a team and as a coaching staff in Detroit,” said McLellan. “He’s someone I’ve become close to and I think he is prepared to take on a greater role with this organization. He will take on more responsibilities as far as coaching and will also help in video breakdown.”
As a player, Woodcroft enjoyed a six-year minor league career. He spent the 2004-05 season in Germany playing for the Stuttgart Wizards and, in his career, enjoyed stints with the Corpus Christi Rayz (Central Hockey League), Flint Generals (United Hockey League), Anchorage Aces (WCHL), Missouri River Otters (UHL) and Jackson Bandits (ECHL).
Schwab, 37, will assume the goaltending development coaching duties for Sharks prospects in Worcester (AHL), Phoenix (ECHL) and amateur leagues. He spent the last three seasons as associate goaltending coach and scout for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The North Battlefield, Saskatchewan native will work closely with Wayne Thomas, whose responsibilities as the Vice President and Assistant General Manager of the San Jose Sharks and General Manager of the Worcester Sharks include coaching the goaltenders at the NHL level.
“Corey comes highly recommended from the organizations he has both played and coached for,” said Thomas. “He had the privilege of playing for Warren Strelow and understands Warren’s teachings and is excited about continuing the Strelow legacy.”
A veteran of 147 regular season games over his eight-year NHL career, Schwab posted a 42-63-13 record with a 2.89 goals against average and a .896 save percentage. He posted six shutouts in his time with New Jersey, Tampa Bay, Vancouver and Toronto.
In addition to naming the four new coaches, McLellan has included former Shark Mike Ricci on his staff as a Development Coach for the organization. Ricci will provide assistance on the ice when the team is at home. He will also work closely with Bryan Marchment, visiting Sharks prospects in Worcester and various Junior teams.
“I think Todd has selected several tremendous individuals to help him guide our team and teach our players,” said Wilson. “Each of them comes from winning traditions and strong organizations and they all have a solid background in the game of hockey. They each will be able to apply their knowledge and experiences towards our group of players as we strive towards our goal of winning the Stanley Cup.”
HEAD COACHING RECORD OF TRENT YAWNEY Season Team LGE G W L T OTL P% PLAYOFF RESULTS
2000-01 Norfolk AHL 80 36 26 13 5 0.562 Lost in round 2
2001-02 Norfolk AHL 80 38 26 12 4 0.575 Lost in round 1
2002-03 Norfolk AHL 80 37 26 12 5 0.569 Lost in round 2
2003-04 Norfolk AHL 80 35 36 4 5 0.494 Lost in round 1
2004-05 Norfolk AHL 80 43 30 6 1 0.581 Lost in round 1
2005-06 Chicago NHL 82 26 43 0 13 0.396 Out of Playoffs
2006-07 Chicago NHL 82 31 42 0 9 0.433 Out of Playoffs
BORN: September 29, 1965 in Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan
--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
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1981-82 Saskatoon J's SJHL 0 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- --
1981-82 Saskatoon Blades WHL 6 1 0 1 0 -- -- -- -- --
1982-83 Saskatoon Blades WHL 59 6 31 37 44 6 0 2 2 0
1983-84 Saskatoon Blades WHL 72 13 46 59 81 -- -- -- -- --
1984-85 Saskatoon Blades WHL 72 16 51 67 158 3 1 6 7 7
1985-86 Canadian National Team Intl 73 6 15 21 60 -- -- -- -- --
1986-87 Canadian National Team Intl 51 4 15 19 37 -- -- -- -- --
1987-88 Canadian National Team Intl 68 5 13 18 87 -- -- -- -- --
1987-88 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 15 2 8 10 15 5 0 4 4 8
1988-89 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 69 5 19 24 116 15 3 6 9 20
1989-90 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 70 5 15 20 82 20 3 5 8 27
1990-91 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 61 3 13 16 77 1 0 0 0 0
1991-92 Indianapolis Ice IHL 9 2 3 5 12 -- -- -- -- --
1991-92 Calgary Flames NHL 47 4 9 13 45 -- -- -- -- --
1992-93 Calgary Flames NHL 63 1 16 17 67 6 3 2 5 6
1993-94 Calgary Flames NHL 58 6 15 21 60 7 0 0 0 16
1994-95 Calgary Flames NHL 37 0 2 2 108 2 0 0 0 2
1995-96 Calgary Flames NHL 69 0 3 3 88 4 0 0 0 2
1996-97 St. Louis Blues NHL 39 0 2 2 17 -- -- -- -- --
1997-98 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 45 1 0 1 76 -- -- -- -- --
1998-99 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 20 0 0 0 32 -- -- -- -- --
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NHL Totals 593 27 102 129 783 60 9 17 26 81
HEAD COACHING RECORD OF TODD RICHARDS
Season Team LGE G W L T OTL P% PLAYOFF RESULTS
BORN: October 20, 1966 in Crystal, Minnesota
--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1985-86 U. of Minnesota NCAA 38 6 23 29 38
1986-87 U. of Minnesota NCAA 49 8 43 51 70
1987-88 U.S. National Team Intl 0 0 0 0 0
1987-88 U. of Minnesota NCAA 34 10 30 40 26
1988-89 U. of Minnesota NCAA 46 6 32 38 60
1989-90 Sherbrooke Canadiens AHL 71 6 18 24 73 5 1 2 3 6
1990-91 Fredericton Canadiens AHL 3 0 1 1 2 -- -- -- -- --
1990-91 Springfield Indians AHL 71 10 41 51 62 14 2 8 10 2
1990-91 Hartford Whalers NHL 2 0 4 4 2 6 0 0 0 2
1991-92 Springfield Indians AHL 43 6 23 29 33 8 0 3 3 2
1991-92 Hartford Whalers NHL 6 0 0 0 2 5 0 3 3 4
1992-93 Springfield Indians AHL 78 13 42 55 53 9 1 5 6 2
1993-94 Las Vegas Thunder IHL 80 11 35 46 122 5 1 4 5 18
1994-95 Las Vegas Thunder IHL 80 12 49 61 130 9 1 2 3 6
1995-96 Orlando Solar Bears IHL 81 19 54 73 59 23 4 9 13 8
1996-97 Orlando Solar Bears IHL 82 9 36 45 134 10 0 1 1 4
1997-98 Orlando Solar Bears IHL 75 6 37 43 68 17 3 8 11 13
1998-99 Orlando Solar Bears IHL 67 11 26 37 61 16 3 7 10 14
1999-00 Orlando Solar Bears IHL 43 7 18 25 26 6 0 5 5 4
2000-01 Orlando Solar Bears IHL 75 9 28 37 60 16 2 11 13 8
2001-02 Servette Geneve Swiss 34 11 26 37 18
NHL Totals 8 0 4 4 4 11 0 3 3 6
BORN: August 11, 1976 in Toronto, Ontario
--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
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1996-97 U. of Alabama-Huntsville NCAA 27 9 14 23 0 -- -- -- -- --
1997-98 U. of Alabama-Huntsville NCAA 30 17 25 42 0 -- -- -- -- --
1998-99 U. of Alabama-Huntsville NCAA 27 19 19 38 0 -- -- -- -- --
1999-00 U. of Alabama-Huntsville NCAA 29 5 15 20 46 -- -- -- -- --
1999-00 Jackson Bandits ECHL 1 1 0 1 0 -- -- -- -- --
2000-01 Missouri River Otters UHL 56 7 12 19 64 -- -- -- -- --
2001-02 Flint Generals UHL 19 3 6 9 16 5 0 1 1 12
2001-02 Anchorage Aces WCHL 31 1 3 4 29 -- -- -- -- --
2002-03 Flint Generals UHL 63 17 18 35 81 -- -- -- -- --
2003-04 Corpus Christi Rayz CHL 47 16 15 31 48 -- -- -- -- --
2004-05 Stuttgart Wizards GerOb 36 20 29 49 89 -- -- -- -- --
BORN: November 4, 1970 in North Battleford, Saskatoon
Season Team Lge GP Min GA EN SO GAA W L T Svs Pct
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1988-89 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 10 386 31 0 0 4.82 0 0 0 0 0.000
1989-90 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 27 1150 69 1 0 3.60 0 0 0 0 0.000
1990-91 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 58 3289 224 1 1 4.09 0 0 0 0 0.000
1991-92 Cincinnati Cyclones ECHL 8 450 31 0 0 4.13 6 0 1 214 0.873
1991-92 Utica Devils AHL 24 1322 95 2 0 4.31 9 12 1 672 0.876
1992-93 Utica Devils AHL 40 2387 169 2 2 4.25 18 16 5 1277 0.883
1992-93 Cincinnati Cyclones IHL 3 185 17 0 0 5.51 1 2 0 78 0.821
1993-94 Albany River Rats AHL 51 3058 184 7 0 3.61 27 21 3 1447 0.887
1994-95 Albany River Rats AHL 45 2711 117 1 3 2.59 25 10 9 1132 0.906
1995-96 Albany River Rats AHL 5 299 13 0 0 2.61 3 2 0 115 0.898
1995-96 New Jersey Devils NHL 10 331 12 0 0 2.18 0 3 0 107 0.899
1996-97 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 31 1462 74 2 2 3.04 11 12 1 645 0.897
1997-98 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 16 821 40 2 1 2.92 2 9 1 370 0.892
1998-99 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 40 2146 126 2 0 3.52 8 25 3 1026 0.891
1998-99 Cleveland Lumberjacks IHL 8 477 31 2 0 3.90 1 6 1 239 0.885
1999-00 Syracuse Crunch AHL 12 720 42 2 0 3.50 7 5 0 337 0.889
1999-00 Orlando Solar Bears IHL 16 868 31 0 1 2.14 9 4 2 327 0.913
1999-00 Vancouver Canucks NHL 6 269 16 0 0 3.57 2 1 1 115 0.861
2000-01 Kansas City Blades IHL 50 2866 150 5 2 3.14 22 24 1 1385 0.902
2001-02 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 30 1646 75 1 1 2.73 12 10 5 707 0.894
2002-03 New Jersey Devils NHL 11 614 15 0 1 1.47 5 3 1 208 0.933
2003-04 New Jersey Devils NHL 3 187 2 0 1 0.64 2 0 1 66 0.971
