Coach AND GM: Troy Ryan Will Be First for Both PWHL San Jose Roles

PWHL San Jose officially has a coach and a general manager.

In a rare move and a first for the league, both positions will be filled by one person — Troy Ryan.

“I’m honored and incredibly excited to help build this organization in San Jose,” Ryan said in a press release from the PWHL.

Ryan brings years of experience in women’s hockey as one of the top coaches in the sport.

“Troy is a consummate professional and culture driver who has excelled in leadership roles both in the PWHL and with Canada’s National Women’s Hockey Team on the international stage,” said Jayna Hefford, PWHL Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations. “Troy has a keen understanding of what it takes to build and lead a high-performing team, and his diverse set of experiences and competitive spirit make him a strong fit to hold the dual role of General Manager and Coach in San Jose.”

PWHL San Jose is league-owned, and Hefford headed the search for both GM and coach.

Ryan joins San Jose from the Toronto Sceptres, where he’s been head coach in all three of their seasons. The Sceptres made the PWHL playoffs and lost in the semifinal in Ryan’s first two years as head coach, but did not make the playoffs this season.

With 17 wins through 24 games played, Toronto was the regular season champion in the PWHL’s  inaugural season, and Ryan was named coach of the year. This year the Sceptres finished fifth in the league, six points behind the fourth place Ottawa Charge, who grabbed the final spot in the playoffs.

Ryan has experience juggling two jobs at once, as he simultaneously served at the head coach of the Canadian Women’s National Team over the last six years. He stepped down from the role after the conclusion of the 2026 Olympics.

Team Canada took home gold at the 2022 Olympics and silver at the 2026 Olympics, facing the United States in both finals. In addition to Ryan’s Olympic success, Canada also won IIHF World Championship titles in 2021, 2022, and 2024, as well two runner-up finishes at that tournament, during his tenure.

Prior to his roles in the upper echelons of women’s hockey, Ryan has worked for various programs across Canada for two-and-a-half decades. He has served as a dual general manager and coach previously, in his time in the Maritime Junior Hockey League, most recently for the Campbellton Tigers from 2013 to 2016.

Given the Sceptres status as an original six team in the PWHL, this will be Ryan’s first time building a team through the league’s expansion process.

“Expansion creates a rare opportunity to shape everything with intention from the standards and culture to the people and connection to the community,” Ryan said. “We want to build a team that plays with purpose, represents the Bay Area with pride, and helps to continue to grow women’s hockey on the West Coast. We know there is a lot of work ahead, and that is exactly what makes this opportunity so special.”

PWHL San Jose is the first of the four expansion teams this year to name a coach. Detroit, Hamilton, and Las Vegas have all named general managers as of Friday.

Ryan now has a little under a month to establish himself and build a staff in San Jose before the PWHL Draft on June 17, in addition to other phases of the expansion process occurring in the coming weeks.