The Bruins’ new assistant coach has been hired by coach Marco Sturm.
Steve Spott was hired by Boston as an assistant coach, the team announced on Friday. The 57-year-old Spott has a lengthy connection with Peter DeBoer, having served as his assistant on three different teams between 2015 and 25.
After DeBoer moved to Las Vegas, Spott joined DeBoer’s NHL staff for the first time with the San Jose Sharks (2015–19) before joining the Golden Knights (2020–22). Spott’s most recent stint was with the Dallas Stars, when he helped the team go to the Western Conference Finals three times in a row.
Spott decided to sign with the Bruins when Dallas decided to fire DeBoer after losing to the Oilers for the second consecutive season.
In a press release, Spott stated, “I’m extremely honored and excited to join the Boston Bruins organization.” For my family and I, it means a lot to be a part of an Original Six franchise with such a rich history and culture.
I sincerely appreciate the chance to work with Marco and the rest of this coaching team in front of one of hockey’s most ardent fan bases, and I’m eager to get started.
During his three years with the Stars, Spott oversaw Dallas’ power play, which helped the team rank eighth in terms of power-play percentage (23.7 percent) during that time. Although Dallas’ power-play dropped to 17th place this past season (22.0 percent), the Stars finished sixth and fifth in the same statistic in the 2023–24 and 2022–23 seasons, respectively.
Sturm expressed his wish for Boston to hire an assistant coach with power-play experience during his first press conference as head coach of the Bruins.
This past season, Boston’s power play put in a lot of work and finished 29th in the NHL with a 15.2 percent success rate.
In a statement issued by the Bruins, Sturm stated, “Steve is an enthusiastic educator, an effective communicator, and he adds great structure and detail to everything he does.” His background will be a huge help to our club and the Bruins going ahead, particularly on special teams.
Spott, a Colgate alumnus, now joins a coaching team that also includes goalie coach Bob Essensa, Chris Kelly, and retained assistants Jay Leach.
Since 2023, Conor Ryan has worked as a staff writer for Boston.com, covering the Boston Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
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