BREAKING: Marleau Re-Joins Sharks as Development Coach, Advisor

Patrick Marleau is coming home.

On Wednesday, the San Jose Sharks teased that the Sharks legend, their all-time leader in Games Played, Goals, and Points, and first jersey retiree, would be joining their front office.

Marleau: ‘That’s the greatest honor, to be able to be the first one up there.’

Today, they named Marleau a player development coach and hockey operations advisor.

“It’s rare that you get the opportunity to add someone to your organization that brings a level of talent and character like Patrick Marleau,” San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier said in a team press release. “As one of the top players of his generation, Patty possesses an unlimited wealth of institutional knowledge about the game. Perhaps more importantly, he was a cornerstone piece in the Sharks becoming one of the NHL’s most dominant franchises over the last two decades and knows what it takes to win and succeed in the NHL. We are extremely happy to bring Patty back into the Sharks family as we continue building a team that our fans can be proud of.”

According to the release, Marleau, who lived in Florida last year after he officially retired in May 2022, will be based in San Jose and help develop the on-ice skills of Sharks and San Jose Barracuda prospects.

“I’m extremely excited to be officially back as part of the Sharks organization,” Marleau said in the release. “I’m looking forward to working with our players on the ice to help them reach their full potential and sharing the knowledge I have garnered from playing 23 years in the National Hockey League. I’m also eager to work with Mike and his staff, and to continuing to learn about the game and business side of hockey.”

Marleau joins a large player development group, headed by director of player development and senior advisor Todd Marchant, which includes ex-San Jose Sharks teammates Mike Ricci and Tommy Wingels. Luca Sbisa is also a player development coach.

This summer’s Sharks development camp is being held from Jul. 4 to Jul. 6. There will be a prospects scrimmage at Sharks Ice at 6 PM on Jul. 6.

I’d expect Marleau, who also helped out last year as a guest development coach, to be on the job.