Vegas Golden Knights Hire Ryan Craig As Head Coach

On Wednesday afternoon, Vegas Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon announced that the club has hired Ryan Craig as the fourth head coach in franchise history. Craig takes over the vacancy left by interim head coach John Tortorella, who parted ways with the team following a magical run to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.

Craig, 44, has deep roots in the Nevada desert. He is an original member of the organization, having joined the Golden Knights as an assistant coach under Gerard Gallant during their historic inaugural 2017-18 expansion season. Craig remained an assistant behind the Vegas bench for six seasons, surviving multiple coaching changes and learning under Bruce Cassidy during the team's 2023 Stanley Cup championship run.

In 2023, Craig was named the head coach of the organization's AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. Over his three seasons leading the Silver Knights, Craig earned widespread praise for his structural accountability, communication skills, and success in preparing prospects for NHL deployment. His intimate knowledge of both the veteran NHL core and the arriving wave of AHL talent made him the consensus favorite internal candidate. Craig led Henderson to a 39-21-7-5 record and a Calder Cup Playoff berth this year.

As a player, Craig skated in 198 career NHL games over parts of eight seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets, collecting 32 goals and 63 points. The 6’2″ center also appeared in 11 career playoff games, coincidentally all under Tortorella with the Lightning in 2006 and 2007.