Executive Committee

Paul Maurice was named the head coach of the Florida Panthers on June 22, 2022. A veteran of 25 NHL seasons as a head coach, Maurice joined Florida after having spent nine seasons behind the bench with the Winnipeg Jets (2013-14 to 2021-22). He previously served as the head coach for the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes (1995-96 to 2003-04, 2008-09 to 2011-12) and the Toronto Maple Leafs (2006-07 to 2007-08).

In his inaugural season in South Florida, Maurice steered the franchise to a Prince of Wales Trophy as well as the club’s first win in the Stanley Cup Final, marking Maurice’s second-career Stanley Cup appearance.

Previously, Maurice led the Carolina Hurricanes to the 2002 Stanley Cup Final and 2009 Eastern Conference Final and guided the Winnipeg Jets to the 2018 Western Conference Final.

Maurice, a native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, has set numerous milestones throughout his extensive career behind an NHL bench. When he was first hired by the Hartford Whalers to serve as their head coach during the 1995-96 season, he became the then second youngest NHL head coach in League history. He owns the Winnipeg Jets franchise record for games coached (600) and wins (315) and was the youngest in League history to reach both 1,000 and 1,500 games as a head coach, and the second-youngest to earn 500 wins. Maurice is also one of three coaches to earn at least 300 wins with two different franchises.

Prior to his NHL head coaching career, Maurice spent two seasons (1993-94 to 1994-95) as head coach of the Detroit Jr. Red Wings of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), culminating in an OHL championship in 1994-95.

Selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 12th round (252nd overall) of the 1985 NHL Draft, Maurice played four seasons with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League from 1984-85 to 1987-88.

Jon Cooper has served as the Head Coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning since 2013, making him the longest-tenured bench boss in the NHL. Under his leadership, the Lightning have become one of the league’s most consistent and successful franchises, capturing back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships in 2020 and 2021.

A native of Prince George, British Columbia, Cooper reached his 400th career win in 2022 and is among the fastest coaches in NHL history to achieve the milestone. He has consistently guided the Lightning to deep playoff runs, including six Eastern Conference Finals appearances between 2015 and 2024, and led the team to three consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances from 2020 to 2022.

Before his NHL tenure, Cooper coached the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals and later the Syracuse Crunch, winning the Calder Cup in 2012. He was named the AHL’s Coach of the Year in 2012 after leading Norfolk to a 28-game winning streak, the longest in professional hockey history. His path to the NHL was unconventional—having previously worked as a practicing lawyer before turning to coaching full-time.

Internationally, Cooper was named Head Coach for Team Canada at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off where he led the team to a gold medal and Head Coach for the 2022 IIHF World Championships. He also served as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, capturing a gold medal.

John Hynes was named Head Coach of the Minnesota Wild on Nov. 27, 2023. A veteran of eight seasons as an NHL Head Coach, Hynes owns a career record of 284-255-63 (.524) in 601 regular season games with the Nashville Predators and New Jersey Devils.

He played forward at Boston University (1993-97) and helped the Terriers advance to four consecutive Frozen Four appearances and win the 1995 NCAA championship. Hynes was inducted into the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame on August 23, 2023.

Knoblauch was named the 18th Head Coach in Edmonton Oilers history on November 13, 2023. He had previously been at the helm of the Hartford Wolf Pack, the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers since the 2019-20 season. Compiling a record of 119-90-32 during his four-plus seasons behind the bench, he guided Hartford to the third round of the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs.

Prior to his time in Hartford, the Imperial, Saskatchewan native spent four-plus seasons in the OHL with the Erie Otters. After assuming head coaching duties for the team during the 2012-13 season, Knoblauch led the Otters to an unprecedented CHL record four-consecutive 50-win seasons. Following their appearance in OHL Final in 2014-15 and his OHL Coach of the Year award in 2015-16, the Otters claimed the league title in 2017.

From Erie, Knoblauch joined the coaching staff of the Philadelphia Flyers, with whom he served as an Assistant Coach during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns. In July of 2019, he was named the seventh Head Coach in Hartford Wolf Pack history.

Knoblauch began his coaching career in 2006 with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, serving as an Assistant Coach before moving to the Kootenay Ice in 2007-08. Eventually taking over as Head Coach for two seasons beginning in 2010-11, the Knoblauch-led Ice claimed the WHL championship in his first season at the helm.

A native of Marshfield, Massachusetts, Mike Sullivan was named Head Coach of the New York Rangers in 2025, bringing with him a legacy of championship pedigree and extensive coaching experience across the NHL.

Sullivan originally made his mark as the Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he led the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships in 2016 and 2017. With these victories, he became the first American-born coach in NHL history to win multiple Stanley Cups. He also joined Toe Blake (Montreal, 1956–58) as only the second coach to win Stanley Cups in each of his first two seasons with a team and became the first coach since Scotty Bowman (Detroit Red Wings, 1996–97) to achieve consecutive championships.

On March 11, 2021, Sullivan earned his 300th career NHL coaching win, becoming just the fourth American-born head coach to reach that milestone—joining John Tortorella, Peter Laviolette, and Dan Bylsma. He accomplished this feat in only 559 games, making him the 13th-fastest head coach in league history and second-fastest among American-born coaches to do so.

Sullivan’s NHL head coaching career began with the Boston Bruins from 2003 to 2006, where he won a division title in his first season. He later served as an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, and Vancouver Canucks from 2007 to 2014. Before taking over behind the bench in Pittsburgh, he was a player development coach for the 2014–15 Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks.

Internationally, Sullivan has represented Team USA on several occasions. He served as head coach at the 2007 IIHF World Championship and was an assistant coach at the 2006 Winter Olympics, 2008 World Championship, and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

As a player, Sullivan appeared in 709 NHL games over 11 seasons, recording 54 goals and 136 points. He was originally selected by the New York Rangers in the fourth round (69th overall) of the 1987 NHL Draft.

John Stevens brings over 25 years of professional coaching experience to the Vegas Golden Knights, where he has served as an Assistant Coach since 2022. A three-time Stanley Cup champion behind the bench, Stevens is known for his steady presence, tactical expertise, and leadership in defensive structure and penalty killing.

Before joining Vegas, Stevens served as an assistant with the Dallas Stars (2019–22) and the Los Angeles Kings, where he was part of the coaching staff for their Stanley Cup wins in 2012 and 2014. He was promoted to Head Coach of the Kings in 2017 and held that role through the 2018 season. Earlier in his NHL coaching career, Stevens led the Philadelphia Flyers as Head Coach from 2006 to 2010.

His coaching journey began in the AHL, where he guided the Philadelphia Phantoms to a Calder Cup championship in 2005. A former defenseman, Stevens played 53 NHL games with the Flyers and Hartford Whalers and appeared in more than 800 pro games across the AHL and IHL.

Stevens is recognized across the league for his composed bench presence and long-standing success developing strong team systems.

Frantz Jean has served as the Goaltending Coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning since 2010, playing a key role in the development of one of the NHL’s most successful goaltending pipelines. His tenure includes backstopping the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021.

Prior to joining Tampa Bay, Jean spent over a decade in the QMJHL, most notably as the Goaltending Coach for the Moncton Wildcats from 1997 to 2010. During his time there, the Wildcats twice reached the Memorial Cup, and his goalies routinely posted some of the best statistics in the league.

Jean is widely respected for his calm demeanor and technical approach, blending detailed mechanics with a strong focus on mental preparation. His ability to build trust with young goaltenders has made him an integral part of Tampa Bay’s long-term success in net.

Brett Heimlich is in his tenth season as a member of the Avalanche’s coaching staff. He was promoted to assistant coach in 2020. Including his time on the San Jose Sharks’ staff, Heimlich has been a part of seven division championship teams, two Presidents’ Trophy clubs, and the 2022 Stanley Cup champion Avalanche.

In his role, Heimlich handles video replay, presents video breakdowns of game situations to coaches and players, formulates scouting reports on opposing clubs, and creates highlight and specialty films for use by the coaches and players. In addition, he provides video reports for postgame individual-player performance reviews as well as statistical analysis for the coaching staff.

Heimlich joined the Avalanche after nine years with the San Jose Sharks. He first joined the Sharks organization in 2004 in event services before working his way up to video assistant, where he directly assisted the coaching staff. He was later promoted to video coordinator, where he communicated on a headset with the club’s assistant coaches during games while controlling the team’s video capture and editing system.