Vegas Golden Knights Name Ryan Craig Fifth Head Coach in Franchise History

LAS VEGAS, NV — The Vegas Golden Knights executed a major structural leadership change behind the bench on Wednesday morning, officially naming Ryan Craig as the fifth head coach in the history of the National Hockey League franchise.

The strategic promotion marks a distinct shift in organizational philosophy for General Manager Kelly McCrimmon, who opted for internal continuity and a deep familiarity with the front office over an established, outside veteran NHL name.

The Internal Promotion Path

Craig, 44, steps into the top coaching asset just one day after the organization announced that John Tortorella would not return for the upcoming 2026-27 season. The Golden Knights wrapped up their competitive 2025-26 campaign on Sunday night following an intense, six-game defeat against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Final.

Before his promotion, Craig spent the past three seasons establishing a record-breaking portfolio as the head coach of the organization’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. Under his command, Henderson saw its regular-season win totals expand year-over-year, concluding the 2025-26 campaign with a franchise-record 39-21-12 ledger and 90 points before making a deep push into the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.

A Decade of Organizational Footprint

Craig’s structural roots within the Golden Knights grid trace back to the team’s inaugural expansion season. He served exclusively as a top-tier assistant coach in Las Vegas for six seasons from 2017 to 2023, learning under former bench bosses Gerard Gallant, Peter DeBoer, and Bruce Cassidy. Craig was an instrumental technical architect on the coaching staff that hoisted the Stanley Cup in the desert in 2023.

His working relationship with McCrimmon spans more than two decades, stretching back to Craig’s playing days as a two-year captain for the Western Hockey League’s Brandon Wheat Kings, an asset owned and managed by McCrimmon. Front office administrators noted that Craig’s intimate grasp of the franchise’s culture and his established report with core veteran leaders like Jack Eichel and Mark Stone positions the team for immediate tactical stabilization as early off-season conditioning loops begin.

Source: Vegas Golden Knights Corporate Communications, National Hockey League Player Personnel Registry.