Todd McLellan
Todd McLellan was with the Broncos from 1994-2000. From 1994-1996 he was head coach and assistant general manager and in 1996 he was awarded the general manager position. He guided the team to a 250-176-49 record and 2 division pennants and led the team to the playoffs in each of his 6 seasons at the helm of the Broncos. He was named the WHL executive of the year in 1997 and WHL coach of the year in 2000. McLellan was born in Melville Saskatchewan and played his junior hockey with the Saskatoon Blades. In the 1986 NHL Entry Draft, he was drafted by the New York Islanders in the fifth round. He played five games at the NHL level, spending most of two seasons with the Islanders’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Indians. However, recurring shoulder injuries dating back to his junior hockey days ended McLellan’s North American playing career after the 1988-89 season. He returned home to study at the University of Saskatchewan for a year, before resuming his playing career for SIJ Utrecht of the Eredivisie in the Netherlands. He started his junior coaching career with the Battleford North Stars of the SJHL in 1993.
Since his time with the Broncos, McLellan has embarked on a stellar professional coaching career. In 2000, McLellan was hired by the expansion Minnesota Wild to coach their minor league affiliate, the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League. After the IHL folded in 2001, McLellan and his staff were transferred to the Wild’s new minor league affiliate, the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League. As coach of the Aeros, McLellan led Houston to the Calder Cup in 2003. In 2005, Mike Babcock selected McLellan to serve as his assistant with the Detroit Red Wings. McLellan would also achieve his first Stanley Cup with the Red Wings in 2007-08.
On June 11, 2008, the San Jose Sharks hired McLellan to become their new head coach, replacing Ron Wilson. He would end up the head coach for the Western Conference All-Star team, and lead the Sharks to their first Presidents’ Trophy with an NHL-leading 117 points to finish the regular season, and finished third in voting for that season’s Jack Adams Award.