The Toronto Marlies have named Steve Sullivan as the ninth head coach in franchise history on Thursday. He replaces John Gruden, who will be behind the bench for the Maple Leafs this upcoming season as part of new head coach Jim Hiller’s staff. In addition, Mark Giordano has been elevated to assistant coach, joining goaltending coach Hannu Toivonen and video coach Nick Biamonte. “Steve has earned this opportunity through his work with both the Maple Leafs and Marlies and has built strong relationships with our young players throughout the organization,” said Marlies general manager Ryan Hardy. “His experience as both a player and coach, combined with his commitment to player development, makes him the right person to lead the next generation of Marlies.” Sullivan served as an assistant coach with the Maple Leafs during the 2025-26 season after spending the previous two campaigns with the Marlies. He also previously served three seasons as assistant general manager of the Arizona Coyotes (2018-21) and worked with the team’s player development department as coach and director. As a player, he skated in 1,011 NHL regular-season games, scoring 290 goals with 747 points, split between the New Jersey Devils, Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins and Phoenix Coyotes. The Marlies recently captured the Calder Cup for the second time as American Hockey League champions after beating the Chicago Wolves in five games.
