Washington Capitals assistant coach Mitch Love and Ontario Reign head coach Marco Sturm are finalists for the Boston Bruins head teaching place, a league supply granted anonymity to debate conversations relating to hockey operations personnel informed The Athletic.
The Bruins are holding in-person interviews in Boston this week after conducting a preliminary spherical of telephone and Zoom conversations.
Love, 40, simply concluded his second season as one in every of Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery’s assistants. Carbery interviewed for the Bruins place in 2022; it went to Jim Montgomery.
Earlier than Washington, Love was the AHL head coach for the Stockton Warmth and Calgary Wranglers, the Calgary Flames’ associates.
Sturm, 46, simply completed his third season main the Reign, the Los Angeles Kings’ AHL membership. He was a Kings assistant for the 4 earlier seasons. Sturm logged 302 profession video games for the Bruins after arriving from the San Jose Sharks within the Joe Thornton blockbuster.
That Love and Sturm have superior to in-person interviews indicators how the Bruins are excited about the place. Neither has NHL head teaching expertise. Sturm was a finalist final 12 months with the Sharks, who employed Ryan Warsofsky. Love could also be into consideration by the Pittsburgh Penguins and Seattle Kraken, the opposite golf equipment with vacancies.
Normal supervisor Don Sweeney has stated that NHL head teaching expertise isn’t a requirement. He could also be in search of a youthful coach who can develop into the place because the Bruins rebuild.
Love has been in command of Washington’s protection. The Capitals allowed 2.79 objectives per sport in 2024-25, eighth-lowest within the NHL. Sturm educated underneath the Kings’ philosophy of defensive-zone construction and hermetic goaltending underneath Todd McLellan, John Stevens and Willie Desjardins, the pinnacle coaches throughout his time in L.A.
Love and Sturm have been in improvement positions within the AHL. Earlier than being employed by the Flames, Love was the pinnacle coach for the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades.
“Evolve offensively, particularly with youthful gamers, and combine them,” Sweeney stated in his year-ending information convention in regards to the qualities he’s pursuing. “However for those who don’t defend within the Nationwide Hockey League, you don’t have sustained success.”
Different finalists are unknown. Sweeney famous earlier this offseason that interim coach Joe Sacco can be a part of a ultimate group of coaches.
(Photograph of Marco Sturm: Andrew D. Bernstein / Getty Photographs)
