SAN JOSE – Sharks coach Bob Boughner figures it is only a matter of time before Rocky Thompson is running his own bench.
Thompson, who just finished his first season as the Sharks’ associate coach, could be sought after this spring as a handful of NHL teams look to fill head coaching vacancies. The Arizona Coyotes, who just parted ways with Rich Tocchet after four seasons, are rumored to be interested in speaking with Thompson.
Sharks general manager Doug Wilson would not say Wednesday whether other teams have requested permission to interview Thompson, who was a head coach from 2017 to 2020 with the Chicago Wolves, the Vegas Golden Knights’ former AHL affiliate before he came to San Jose.
Boughner said he had not heard if other NHL teams have asked the Sharks about Thompson, who worked with the Sharks’ defensemen this season and coordinated the team’s power play.
“I believe he’s going to be a great head coach,” Boughner said of Thompson. “Even though he does a great job as an assistant, you can tell he’s got that pedigree of being a head guy, and that’s something that’s going to happen at some point.”
Boughner was in Thompson’s spot from 2015 to 2017 as an assistant with the Sharks on Pete DeBoer’s staff before he landed the Florida Panthers’ head coaching job.
“I don’t want to lose him,” Boughner said of Thompson. “We’re just getting started as a staff, but that’s the way our businesses is, and obviously, I would support that if he got an opportunity somewhere because he deserves it.”
Thompson and assistant coach John Madden were officially hired by Boughner in September. Among the biggest positives for the Sharks this season was the emergence of Mario Ferraro and Nikolai Knyzhov as top-four defensemen. For the majority of the season, Ferraro played alongside Brent Burns and Knyzhov was partnered with Erik Karlsson.
The Sharks’ power play, though, struggled for most of the season and finished at 14.1 percent for the year, 29th out of 31 teams.
“I put that on all of us,” Boughner said of himself, Thompson and Madden. “There’s not a day that goes by that all three of us don’t sit there and share ideas and adjustments and changes. So that’s something that’s got to improve.”
Thompson played professionally for 10 seasons, mainly in the AHL, before he served as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL from 2007 to 2010.
Thompson then became an assistant for Oklahoma City of the AHL for four seasons from 2010 to 2014 and spent one year as an assistant with the Edmonton Oilers.
Besides the Coyotes, NHL teams with open head coaching positions include the New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Seattle Kraken.
WORLD STAGE: Ferraro was excited about playing for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships, which begin later this month in Riga, Latvia. It’s the first time Ferraro will play for his home country, as he’ll be Sharks’ lone representative on the Canadian team.
“Any time you get to represent your country, it’s a special thing,” Ferraro said. “It’ll be a great opportunity. I’m looking forward to competing against some of the guys on this team. It’s going to be a cool experience.”
Other Sharks participating in the tournament include Alexander Barabanov for Russia, Timo Meier for Switzerland, and Ryan Donato, Sasha Chmelevski, and Kevin Labanc for the United States. Per reports, forward Rudolfs Balcers will not play for Latvia and goalie Josef Korenar will not play for the Czech Republic. Korenar will stay with the Barracuda as it begins the AHL playoffs.
INJURY UPDATES: Boughner said defenseman Radim Simek had an oblique strain as he sat out the final 10 games of the regular season.
“Every time he turned and every time he tried to make a play on his backhand or hit a guy, it was a spiking pain,” Boughner said of Simek, adding that the Czech Republic-born defenseman will not require surgery this offseason.
Boughner said forward Matt Nieto missed the Sharks’ final 28 games with a hip flexor issue, which impacted his skating.
“His game is speed and explosion and explosiveness out of the gates with his legs,” Boughner said, “and I think he just couldn’t push through that.”
