It’s yet to be official, but all signs point to the Vegas Golden Knights promoting Ryan Craig to be their next head coach.
Craig, the current coach of the AHL Henderson Silver Knights, will replace John Tortorella when official.
Tortorella, 67, will not be brought back after he was hired March 29 to replace Bruce Cassidy. He led the Knights to a 21-6-1 run over the next two-plus months and a spot in the Stanley Cup Final.
Here are five things to know about Craig:
One of the originals
Craig, 44, has been with the organization since the beginning. He was hired as an assistant coach for inaugural coach Gerard Gallant’s staff in June 2017.
Craig joined the coaching staff fresh off a 14-season career as an American Hockey League mainstay. He played 711 games in the AHL and was a captain at numerous stops.
Though the Knights transitioned from Gallant to Pete DeBoer and eventually Bruce Cassidy, Craig was always the mainstay on the staff.
He was the top assistant on staff during the Knights’ run to their Stanley Cup championship in 2023.
Turning Henderson around
Following the Knights’ championship, Craig was named coach of the Silver Knights in June 2023.
Craig took over duties after inaugural coach Manny Viveiros was fired after three seasons with the team.
The Silver Knights went from 28 to 29 wins in Craig’s first two years. The third was the payoff, with Henderson going 39-21-7 and making the Calder Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2022.
They won their first ever Calder Cup Playoff series in a two-game sweep of the San Jose Barracuda, but lost to the Colorado Eagles in the second round.
Craig has been at the forefront of developing some of the Knights’ uncovered gems that made their NHL debuts this year, including forwards Braeden Bowman and Kai Uchacz.
Familiar with McCrimmon
Craig and general manager Kelly McCrimmon go back longer than their work together with the Knights.
Craig was captain of the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2003 and 2004, the Western Hockey League team that McCrimmon owned and coached.
In his final season, Craig scored 42 goals and 74 points. He was taken 255th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2002.
Played under Tortorella
Craig made his NHL debut in the 2005-06 season with the Lightning, coached at the time by Tortorella.
Craig had 15 goals and 28 points in 48 games with the Lightning in his first pro season.
He spent seven years with the organization before joining the Pittsburgh Penguins, whom he played six games with. He played eight more games over two years with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In total, Craig played 198 NHL games and scored 31 goals.
Carved a career
But it was the AHL where Craig had the most success.
A nine-time captain in the development league, Craig led the Lake Erie Monsters to a Calder Cup championship in 2016.
Craig totaled 172 goals and 360 points during a 12-year run in the AHL, racking up 554 penalty minutes.
Craig was a center in his playing days. He was in charge of the forwards while with the Knights. He played a significant role in helping the likes of Jack Eichel and Chandler Stephenson become tough to face in the faceoff circle.
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
