SOURCE: Sharks To Hire Scott Fitzgerald As Scouting Director?

Have the San Jose Sharks found their new director of scouting?

A source tells San Jose Hockey Now that the Sharks have hired Scott Fitzgerald from the Boston Bruins. It’s believed that he will be the team’s new director of scouting.

Fitzgerald, most recently, was the Boston Bruins’ Chief College Scout. He has been with the Bruins since 2006-07, holding a variety of scouting titles, from College Scouting Coordinator to Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting to Amateur Scout. From 1999 to 2006, he was a Columbus Blue Jackets scout.

Phil Kessel, Charlie McAvoy, Jeremy Swayman, Matt Grzelcyk, and past and current Sharks Matt Benning and Ryan Donato are among Boston’s significant NCAA-trained draft picks during Fitzgerald’s tenure.

Torey Krug, Kevan Miller, Karson Kuhlman, and Noel Acciari form an impressive group of successful college free agents that the Bruins inked in Scott Fitzgerald’s time in Boston.

Fitzgerald comes from a distinguished hockey family: His brother Tom is the New Jersey Devils GM, and he’s related to Jimmy Hayes, Kevin Hayes, Keith Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, and Matthew Tkachuk.

If Fitzgerald is indeed the San Jose Sharks’ new director of scouting, he quickly replaces Doug Wilson Jr., who vacated the position just last Monday.

“There are some people I’m interested in for the scouting director role, and he himself thought maybe it was time for him to kind of branch out and try something different,” new San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier said on Tuesday about his parting conversations with Wilson Jr.. “We just had some discussions about the future and thought it was best for both sides.”

Grier on Parting With Wilson Jr., Sharks’ Free Agency Approach, Adding Weight (+)

Wilson Jr. had run Sharks’ drafts since 2017 and has been director of scouting since 2018. Under Wilson Jr., San Jose has selected Josh Norris, Mario Ferraro, Ryan Merkley, William Eklund, and Thomas Bordeleau.

Wilson Jr. is speaking with multiple NHL teams about his next scouting role.