Sommer is reassigned in shakeup of Barracuda
SAN JOSE >> Roy Sommer's historic 24-year tenure as coach of the Sharks' AHL affiliate has come to an end.
Coming off their worst season since moving to San Jose seven years ago, the Barracuda announced major changes to their coaching staff Tuesday, with John McCarthy becoming the team's head coach and Sommer stepping into a role as a senior advisor, assisting with “various scouting and player development efforts in the AHL,” per a news release.
Sommer, 65, had been the head coach of the Sharks' top minor league affiliate since the start of the 1998-1999 season, with stops in Kentucky (1998-2001), Cleveland (2001-2006), Worcester (2006-2015) and San Jose (2015-2022).
Sommer's record was 808-721-48-159, which leaves him No. 1 in AHL history in games coached (1,736) and victories.
Sommer also was a Sharks assistant coach from 1996 to 1998 and was on Bob Boughner's staff for the last three months of the 2019-2020 season after Pete DeBoer and three assistants were fired by then-general manager Doug Wilson.
Sommer, an Oakland native, collected the 800th AHL win of his career on Jan. 8, 2022, against the Henderson Silver Knights. On Dec. 3, 2017, he became one of just seven coaches in professional hockey to reach 700 coaching wins between the NHL, AHL and ECHL.
Nicknamed `Cowboy,' Sommer began his coaching career in 1987, with stops in the IHL, WHL, ECHL, and even two seasons from 1994 to 1996 with the San Jose Rhinos of Roller Hockey International. Sommer had a 10-year pro career as a player, which included three games with the Edmonton Oilers in 1981.
“Roy is a legendary figure in hockey and his accomplishments both on the ice and in player development speak for themselves,” Sharks interim general manager Joe Will said in a statement. “We thank him for nearly a quarter-century behind the bench of the Barracuda and the Sharks, and we are excited that he will remain a part of our organization moving forward.”
The Barracuda also announced that Jimmy Bonneau and Michael Chiasson are no longer assistant coaches. Bonneau was reassigned to his former role as a professional scout for the team and Chiasson accepted a position as an agent with CAA Hockey, working with hockey superagent Pat Brisson.
Dany Sabourin, per the Barracuda, left his position as the team's goaltending coach to return closer to his home in Quebec. Video coach and hockey operations manager Nick Gialdini remains in his current role. Additional members of McCarthy's coaching staff will be announced at a later date, the Barracuda said.
San Jose's coaching staff overhaul was made after the Barracuda finished this season 2042-6 for a .338 points percentage that ranked last among all 31 AHL teams and worst for the Sharks' top affiliate since 2002-03.
The Barracuda used 53 players, including six goalies, for at least one game this season, as players were regularly shuffled between the NHL and AHL. A handful of other players on AHL contracts moved between San Jose and Orlando of the ECHL. The Barracuda finished the season on a 0-13-2 losing streak.
“I've never had a season like this in my 26 years with the organization. It's never been this rough,” Sommer said in April. “You lose five games in a row and it's like, `Oh, my God, the roof is falling in.' Now we're at ... I don't even know what it is now.
“But we've gone through some big stretches where we haven't won games and it's tough. I don't care if it's the American League or the NHL or AAA hockey or squirts, you lose that many games in a row and it makes it hard.“
McCarthy, 35, has spent the last two seasons as a development coach for the Barracuda after serving as an assistant coach for part of the 201920 season following his retirement as a player for medical reasons.
McCarthy, a seventh-round draft pick by the Sharks in 2006, had 297 points in 577 AHL games and holds Barracuda franchise records in games played (275), goals (62), assists (76), and points (138). He was the Barracuda's captain from 2016 to 2019 and also captained the Worcester Sharks in 2012-13.
McCarthy also played 88 games with the Sharks between 2009-2016 and represented the U.S. at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
The Barracuda are moving from SAP Center to Tech CU Arena, a 4,200-seat facility at Sharks Ice in San Jose that is scheduled to be completed in August.
“John McCarthy is a natural fit as the next head coach of the San Jose Barracuda,” Will said. “His leadership skills and professionalism, matched with his hockey IQ, have allowed him to succeed throughout his long and distinguished career with the Sharks and Barracuda. These traits … will be a great asset for our developing players.”
“I am honored to be named the head coach of the San Jose Barracuda,” McCarthy said. “I have been a member of this organization for 13 years and could not be happier to have this opportunity. I'd like to thank the organization for putting their faith in me to lead this group, and I'm excited to get to work on developing the next wave of players for the Sharks.”