Golden Knights Golden Knights name organization mainstay Ryan Craig new coach The Golden Knights made official what was long expected, announcing Wednesday they’ve hired Ryan Craig as the fifth coach in franchise history. Ryan Craig named new VGK coach Ryan Craig, addresses the media after being introduced as the Silver Knights head coach at The Dollar Loan Center, on Friday, June 30, 2023, in Henderson. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @bizutesfaye Henderson Silver Knights head coach Ryan Craig chats with forward Shane Smith (74) during first day of Golden Knights rookie camp at City National Arena, on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @bizutesfaye More Stories PWHL Las Vegas team to split games between T-Mobile Arena, Henderson McPhee: Golden Knights to keep betting on second chances NHL announces Golden Knights’ 2026-27 national TV schedule Original Misfit sells Summerlin mansion to Fontainebleau developer for $25M By Danny Webster / Las Vegas Review-Journal June 17, 2026 - 10:06 am Updated June 17, 2026 - 8:32 pm Ryan Craig is next. The Vegas Golden Knights made official what has long been expected, naming one of the organization’s longest mainstays as their fifth coach in team history, the Knights announced on Wednesday. The decision comes after John Tortorella was informed on Tuesday that he would not be returning to the team following an improbable playoff run that put the Knights two wins away from a Stanley Cup championship. Instead, the Knights are beginning a new era, promoting Craig after he spent three years as the coach of Henderson from the American Hockey League. COACH CRAIG ⚔️ Vegas Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon has announced Ryan Craig will be the fifth Head Coach in franchise history. Press release ➡️ https://t.co/VQ9qkUkKYC pic.twitter.com/sOa25R529Y — Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 17, 2026 The Knights will introduce Craig during a news conference at City National Arena on Thursday. Craig is signing a three-year deal, a source confirmed to the Review-Journal. Craig, 44, has been with the organization from its inception. He was hired as an assistant coach on inaugural coach Gerard Gallant’s staff in 2017. He not only stayed through Gallant’s tenure, but was also a lead assistant on Pete DeBoer’s staff from 2020-22, and through Bruce Cassidy’s first season with the Knights in 2023. Cassidy was fired on March 29 and replaced by Tortorella. The Knights finished 7-0-1 to clinch a fifth Pacific Division title in nine years. That run sparked an unthinkable postseason that concluded with the Knights making the Stanley Cup Final for the third time in nine years. The Knights lost in six games to the Carolina Hurricanes. “We really wanted to give this opportunity to Ryan Craig, who has been in our organization for nine years,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said Wednesday. Craig was named coach of the Silver Knights two weeks after the Knights completed their Stanley Cup championship run. Craig led the Silver Knights to the Calder Cup Playoffs this past season, anchored by a 17-3-3 run to close the regular season. The team won its first Calder Cup Playoff series in team history by sweeping the San Jose Barracuda, but fell to the Colorado Eagles in the second round in four games. Craig played 14 professional seasons, but was mostly a mainstay in the AHL. He was picked 255th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2002 and played in 198 career NHL games. A captain through most of his AHL tenure, Craig played 711 AHL games. Craig is responsible for aiding in the development of some of the Knights’ young players, such as undrafted forwards Braeden Bowman and Kai Uchacz, who made their NHL debuts this season. Goaltender Carl Lindbom, the Knights’ top netminder prospect, also made his NHL debut this season. Craig becomes the third-youngest coach in the NHL, trailing San Jose’s Ryan Warsofsky (38) and Pittsburgh’s Dan Muse, who will turn 44 in July. Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X. Posted on: Golden Knights , NHL , Sports Tagged: mc-sports , rj-has-vdo
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