James Nichols
The New Jersey Devils are made their first big hire on Tuesday next to head coach Sheldon Keefe. Brad Shaw is set to join Keefe’s staff behind the Devils’ bench next season.
READ MORE: Devils Begin Changes to Coaching Staff
After John Tortorella was relieved of his duties as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers on March 27th, Shaw took over interim head coach duties and posted a 5-3-1 record. It wasn’t Shaw’s first stint in the NHL as an interim head coach, either. In January 2006, Shaw replaced Steve Sterling on the New York Islanders bench, leading the Isles to an 18-18-4 finish.
Shaw has been coaching behind NHL benches since 1999. He’s spent time with the Flyers, Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, St. Louis Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Vancouver Canucks in assistant and associate roles.
Shaw is a well respected, defensive minded coach who has also been in the running for several permanent head coaching vacancies, most recently the Washington Capitals before Spencer Carbery and Anaheim Ducks before Greg Cronin.
The 61-year-old bench boss is responsible for the development of several young defensemen in the NHL throughout his career. Such names include Alex Pietrangelo, Zach Werenski, and Cam York across multiple organizations.
Formerly working Tortorella and Ken Hitchcock with the St. Louis Blues, the decorated head coaches have noted Shaw’s critical role in the development of young defensemen adapting to the NHL.
In New Jersey, Shaw’s hire will certainly serve as a boost to Luke Hughes who took significant strides in his development during the 2024-25 season, and Simon Nemec who struggled to find consistency, but broke out in the wake of injuries at the end of the regular season and in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.
The Devils relieved Ryan McGill and Chris Taylor of their duties earlier this month. Sergei Brylin is confirmed to be remaining in his assistant coaching role. With the addition of Shaw, the Devils have one more spot to fill next to Keefe.
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