Silver Knights’ new coach sees job as ‘right step’ after Stanley Cup
Ryan Craig was given about 48 hours to enjoy the Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup championship. Then the organization had an opportunity to discuss with him.
General manager Kelly McCrimmon and Silver Knights general manager Tim Speltz received interest in their open coaching position in Henderson once it was announced Manny Viveiros would not return next season, but they always had an internal candidate in the back of their minds.
They just had to wait to approach him since he was busy chasing the Cup.
The process played out fast once the team won the title. Craig, a Golden Knights assistant for six seasons, was asked about taking over their American Hockey League affiliate. It wasn’t long before he agreed to accept the job, and he was introduced as the Silver Knights’ second-ever coach Friday at The Dollar Loan Center in front of a group of applauding fans and players Brendan Brisson, Daniil Chayka and Isaiah Saville.
“It’s a big deal for me,” Craig said. “It’s a big step in my coaching career. It’s one that I see as the next step, the right step. It’s the right time for this challenge. It’s the right time for this opportunity.”
Craig, 41, has been preparing for his first head-coaching opportunity for years.
He joined the Golden Knights’ staff in the 2017 season after his days as an NHL and AHL forward ended. Even before that, McCrimmon said Craig was “a coach every dressing room he’s ever been in.”
Craig captained the Western Hockey League’s Brandon Wheat Kings — whom McCrimmon owned at the time — for two years and then spent nine years as a captain in the AHL. McCrimmon called that feat “astounding,” given it meant Craig had to earn the honor young. His first AHL captaincy was with the Springfield Falcons only three seasons into his professional career.
Craig was then given the opportunity to grow as a coach under three bosses with the Knights in Gerard Gallant, Pete DeBoer and Bruce Cassidy. All gave him different responsibilities, from running the power play or penalty kill, to helping with faceoffs, to working with the forwards, to scouting opposing teams.
He also learned a lesson from all three of them: The importance of being himself. The trio all had success with the Knights by putting their own spin on things, and Craig wants to follow suit.
“I’m going to be a communicator,” Craig said. “I do think I’ve had great relationships with the players I’ve been able to coach for six years. When I was a captain in the American Hockey League, I was able to be a conduit a bit between the players, knowing I had their back, and then the coaches, to get the message across. I had coaches that trusted me with that.”
Craig, after all his experiences with the Knights, decided that taking the Silver Knights job was the correct move for him to get closer to his goal of being an NHL coach.
Speltz said the organization had candidates in mind had Craig chosen to stay on as Cassidy’s assistant, but things ultimately played out as the club hoped. McCrimmon said he has already talked with Cassidy about filling the open position on the Golden Knights’ bench and does not believe it will take long to finalize the staff.
Speltz also said the Silver Knights hope to bring back assistants Fred Brathwaite, Jamie Heward and Joel Ward unless they’re offered promotions elsewhere.
The fact that Craig is familiar with the group and many of the players in Henderson should help him hit the ground running. The Silver Knights are coming off a 29-38-5 season that saw them miss the playoffs for the first time.
Speltz said they’re hoping to add a few more veteran players for Craig’s first season to help their prospects develop while also competing for the Calder Cup.
“The AHL is about development,” Craig said. “It’s also about winning. We’d like to develop and win. Not or. And that would be part of the mandate here that we will do.”
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.
