One day after announcing John Tortorella would not return to the team next season, the Vegas Golden Knights have already found their new head coach.
General manager Kelly McCrimmon announced the hiring of Ryan Craig Wednesday afternoon, who will become the fifth head coach in franchise history. Craig led the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, the club’s AHL affiliate, for the past three seasons.
Craig, 44, served as an assistant coach with the Golden Knights for six seasons from 2017 to 2023 prior to joining the Silver Knights as head coach. Henderson saw their win total increase following each season with Craig behind the bench, earning 28 wins in 2023-24, 29 in 2024-25, and 39 victories last season.
Tortorella took over as Golden Knights head coach on March 29 after the surprise dismissal of Bruce Cassidy. He led the team to a 7-0-1 mark in the regular season before series wins over the Utah Mammoth, Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche to win the Western Conference. The team fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games in the Stanley Cup Final over the weekend.
“We thank Torts for the guidance he provided our team since joining the organization in March,” McCrimmon said in a news release issued Tuesday.
“When the decision was made to bring Torts to Vegas, we needed an immediate impact to help us at a pivotal point in the season. Torts’ experience and leadership proved to be the boost that we were looking for, helping guide us to the Stanley Cup Final. We are grateful for Torts’ passion, sincerity, and commitment to our organization, and we wish him and his family the best.”
A native of Abbotsford, B.C., Craig spent parts of eight seasons as a forward in the NHL with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets from the 20025-06 season to the 20114-15 campaign.
