Knights promote Ryan Craig from AHL affiliate to head coach - ESPN

A day after moving on from John Tortorella, the Vegas Golden Knights announced Wednesday that they have promoted Ryan Craig, who coached their AHL affiliate, to lead their NHL team.

Craig, who is 44 and will be a first-time NHL head coach, takes over the Golden Knights after their season ended Sunday with a 3-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.

He played for three teams over his eight seasons in the NHL. His playing career ended in 2017, with Craig transitioning into coaching months later.

Although he never played for the Golden Knights, his connection to their front office goes back to his time playing junior hockey with the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings. Craig, who was a two-year captain, played five seasons for the Wheat Kings at a time when current Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon was Brandon's GM and franchise co-owner.

Vegas hired Craig as an assistant coach in 2017, and he remained in that role until 2023, when he was named the head coach of the Henderson Silver Knights in the AHL.

Craig guided the Silver Knights to the Calder Cup playoffs this season, and they advanced to the Pacific Division semifinals before losing in three games.

He becomes the first homegrown coach the Golden Knights have produced to take over the team. But he's also the third head coach they've had since late March and the fifth since their inaugural 2017-18 season.

Their first 2026 search for a head coach began with eight games remaining in the regular season when the Golden Knights fired Bruce Cassidy and hired Tortorella, who guided the Tampa Bay Lightning to a Stanley Cup in 2004.

Vegas won seven of its eight regular-season games under Tortorella before going into a postseason that saw it