Coaching Staff
Head Coach
Sheldon Keefe
Named Head Coach on May 23, 2024.
Keefe, joined New Jersey after spending five seasons as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, from 2019-20 through 2023-24.
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Keefe recorded a 212-97-40 career record (.665 pts%) during his tenure with the Maple Leafs and his regular season win total ranks fifth all-time in Toronto’s franchise history. His points percentage places him first among all head coaches in Toronto’s franchise history. Keefe was the second fastest coach in NHL history (tie, B. Boudreau) to accumulate 200 wins in an NHL career, behind Dan Bylsma with Pittsburgh. He led Toronto to five consecutive postseason appearances and earned a 16-21 record in 37 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.
In 2021-22, under Keefe, the Maple Leafs set a single-season franchise record with 54 wins and 115 points, while also winning 50+ games in consecutive years from 2021-22 to 2022-23. His teams did not register a points percentage lower than .622 in any season. Toronto’s 1,239 goals scored under Keefe’s guidance ranked second in the NHL behind only Colorado (1,241). Toronto’s power play finished first in the NHL (27.3%) in 2021-22, which also set a Toronto franchise record. The team’s overall 24.9 power-play percentage under Keefe ranked second in the NHL behind Edmonton (28.2%).
Before joining the Maple Leafs, Keefe was head coach for Toronto’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Marlies from 2015-16 until his promotion to the NHL in November 2019. Keefe earned a career 199-89-22-9 regular-season record in the AHL with the Marlies and led the team to its first-ever Calder Cup Championship in 2018. The Marlies also won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as AHL regular season champions on two occasions (2016 & 2018).
A native of Brampton, Ontario, he began his coaching and front office career in 2006-07 with Pembroke of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL). Keefe led Pembroke to a CCHL title in his first season, where he served as head coach and general manager. Overall, Pembroke won five consecutive CCHL titles from 2006-07 to 2010-11 with Keefe serving in a management and coaching capacity. Keefe continued his coaching career with Sault. Ste. Marie of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 2012-13 to 2014-15, and the team clinched postseason berths in all three seasons.
As a player, Keefe was selected by Tampa Bay in the second round, 47th overall, in the 1999 NHL Draft. The right wing played in 125 career NHL games with Tampa Bay from 2000-01 to 2002-03. Keefe totaled 120 career games at the AHL level (2001-02 to 2004-05) with Springfield, Hershey, and Utah. He also played in 13 games during the 2000-01 season with Detroit of the International Hockey League (IHL).
Keefe played three seasons in the OHL with Toronto and Barrie, where he was named OHL Rookie of the Year in 1999 with Barrie. He also helped Barrie win an OHL title in 2000 when he won the Eddie Powers Trophy as the league’s top scorer with 121 points (48g-73a).
Assistant Coach
Jeremy Colliton
Named Assistant Coach on June 11, 2024 to join the Devils coaching staff.
Colliton, previously served as head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks, Vancouver’s AHL affiliate, for two seasons, from 2022-23 through 2023-24.
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Colliton posted identical records of 40-25-7 in his two regular seasons at the helm of Abbotsford and led them to the Calder Cup Playoffs both seasons.
Colliton also has head coaching experience in the National Hockey League, serving as the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks for parts of four seasons (2018-19 to 2021-22). At the time of his hiring, he was the youngest coach in the NHL and over his tenure guided the Blackhawks to a record of 87-92-26 (.488 points %). Hired by the Blackhawks on November 6, 2018, Colliton had been coaching his second season with their AHL affiliate in Rockford. In 2017-18, his first season with Rockford, the team advanced to the Western Conference Finals. Colliton finished with a career record of 46-31-0-11 in 88 games with the IceHogs.
He also served as head coach for Mora IK in HockeyAllsvenskan, between 2013-14 and 2016-17. At the time, HockeyAllsvenskan was in Sweden’s second league, and he led the team to SHL promotion in his final season with the club.
Colliton was originally named assistant coach for Team Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, before taking over the head coaching duties when Claude Julien was unable to serve in the capacity due to an injury.
A native of Blackie, Alberta, the New York Islanders selected Colliton in the second round, 58th overall, at the 2003 NHL Draft. He played six seasons in the Islanders’ organization at the NHL and AHL levels, from 2005-06 through 2011-12. The center scored three goals and three assists in 57 career NHL games and while in the American Hockey League with Bridgeport, scored 203 points (77g-126a) in 326 AHL games. Colliton represented his home country at the 2003 World Junior Under-18 Championships (Gold), 2004 World Junior Championship (Gold) and 2005 World Juniors (Silver).
Assistant Coach
Ryan McGill
Named Assistant Coach on July 29, 2022 to join the Devils coaching staff.
McGill, was an assistant coach for the Vegas Golden Knights, spending five seasons in his role, from 2017-18 through 2021-22.
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McGill helped Vegas reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs in four of the team's first five seasons, including becoming the first NHL expansion team to advance to a Stanley Cup Final (2017-18) since St. Louis in 1967-68.
McGill's previous NHL experience includes serving as an Assistant Coach with the Calgary Flames for two seasons, 2009-10 to 2010-11. He was promoted to that position after four years as the head coach of the Flames' American Hockey League affiliates in Quad City and Omaha. He was also the head coach of the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack from 2003-05.
McGill's coaching career began in 1996-97 as an assistant for the Edmonton/Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League (WHL), and he then served as head coach for the Ice from 1997-98 to 2001-02, culminating in the Ice winning a Memorial Cup that final season. McGill later returned to Kootenay as head coach in 2012-13 and earned the WHL's Coach of the Year award. In 2016-17, he was awarded OHL Coach of the Year, after a successful campaign with Owen Sound Attack. After two seasons with Owen Sound, McGill was hired to join the Golden Knights coaching staff.
A native of Sherwood Park, Alberta, McGill was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round, 29th overall, in the 1987 NHL Draft. The right-handed shot defenseman played in 151 career regular-season NHL games before his career was cut short by injury. Over those games, he scored four goals and 15 assists for 19 points and 391 penalty minutes with Chicago (9), Philadelphia (134) and Edmonton (8) from 1991-92 to 1994-95. McGill led Philadelphia with 238 PIM in 1992-93 and was teammates with Kevin Dineen, current head coach of New Jersey's AHL affiliate, Utica Comets, from 1992-93 to 1994-95 on the Flyers.
Assistant Coach
Chris Taylor
Named Assistant Coach on October 23, 2020 to join the Devils coaching staff.
Taylor, started his professional coaching career with the Rochester Americans (AHL) as an assistant from 2012-16. After the 2016-17 season as an assistant with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he returned to Rochester to serve as the club's head coach.
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Taylor reached the playoffs in his first two seasons and was on pace in his third with the Americans, finishing with a career record of 116-65-33 in 214 games. His points percentage (.620) was the fourth best in the AHL during the three-year span. He served as head coach of the North Division All-Star team for the American Hockey League All-Star Classic this past January. Taylor also served as an interim assistant coach with Buffalo for two months last season.
Born March 6, 1972 in Stratford, Ont., he began his professional career as a Development Coach for Rochester in 2011-12 before moving to a coaching position the next season. As a head and assistant coach, Rochester posted a 239-204-57 record for 571 points in 518 games. In his lone season with Wilkes-Barre as an assistant, the Penguins recorded a 43-27-6 record for 92 points, going to the Conference Semi-Finals in the Calder Cup.
The center was drafted in the second round, 27th overall, by the New York Islanders in the 1990 NHL Draft. Taylor's NHL playing career spanned eight seasons with three teams (Islanders, Boston and Buffalo), tallying 11 goals and 21 assists for 32 points in 149 games played. While in Buffalo, he played under former Devils' Head Coach Lindy Ruff for parts of four seasons.
Taylor played 11 seasons in the AHL, finishing with 167 goals and 393 assists for 560 points. Taylor appeared in 41 post-season games, recording 10 goals and 26 assists for 36 points in the post-season. Taylor was awarded the 2004-05 Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award, which is awarded annually to the player best exemplifying sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey.
Taylor spent his junior career in the OHL playing for the London Knights, tallying 150 goals and 228 assists for 378 points in 259 games played. The left-handed shot took his Knights team to the playoffs in all four years playing in 38 games, posting 15 goals and 28 assists for 43 post-season points.
Assistant Coach
Sergei Brylin
Named Assistant Coach on August 18, 2022 to join the Devils coaching staff.
The past nine seasons, Brylin served as an assistant and associate coach for the Devils' AHL affiliates in Albany (2012-13 to 2016-17), Binghamton (2017-18 to 2020-21), and Utica (2021-22).
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Last season, Brylin helped lead the Comets to a North Division title and the best record in the Eastern Conference. Utica also set an AHL record after it began the 2021-22 campaign with 13 consecutive wins.
Brylin made his NHL debut on February 17, 1995, vs the New York Islanders and spent his entire 13-season NHL career, from 1994-95 through 2007-08, with New Jersey. He totaled 765 regular-season games, which ranks tenth in franchise history. He is one of just five players to win three Stanley Cup Championships (1995, 2000, 2003) with New Jersey, joining Martin Brodeur, Ken Daneyko, Scott Niedermayer, and Scott Stevens in the accomplishment. The forward totaled 129 goals and 179 assists for 308 points over his NHL career, with career highs across the board in goals (23), assists (29) assists and points (52) in the 2000-01 season. As part of his many achievements, Brylin had an iron-man streak of 328 games, playing in all games from 2003-04 through 2007-08. This run of games from October 8, 2003 to April 6, 2008 also marks the third-longest consecutive stretch in franchise history. Additionally, he earned 15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points in 109 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Brylin ended his NHL career after the 2007-08 season and retired following the 2011-12 season, after three years with St. Petersburg and one season with Novokuznetsk in the Kontinental Hockey League. Internationally, he represented Russia at two World Championships and two World Junior Championships. New Jersey's second choice and 42nd overall selection in the 1992 Entry Draft, Brylin first came to North America in 1993-94 as a member of the IHL's Russian Penguins.
Born Jan. 13, 1974 in Moscow, Rus., Sergei and his wife, Elena, who have long made New Jersey their home, have two children: daughter, Anna, and son, Fydor.
Goaltending Coach
Dave Rogalski
Named Goaltending Coach on October 23, 2020 to join the Devils coaching staff.
Rogalski, spent three seasons, from 2017-2020, as the Goaltender Development Coach for the St. Louis Blues.
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Rogalski, spent three seasons, from 2017-2020, as the Goaltender Development Coach for the St. Louis Blues. In that role, Rogalski was responsible for the training, film breakdown, and skill development of the Blues' young goaltenders and scouting goaltenders for the NHL Draft. He also crafted video packages and reports on opposing goaltenders and would visit goaltenders throughout the St. Louis system. Rogalski is credited with influencing Jordan Binnington's success late in the 2018-19 season, and his subsequent run to the Stanley Cup Championship with St. Louis.
The St. Louis Park, MN native started his professional coaching career in 2010 for St. Cloud State University, serving as their Goaltending Coach. Rogalski would go on to spend six years at the NCAA level, before being named Goaltending Consultant for Sioux Falls (USHL) in 2016.
The ex-netminder suited up for St. Mary's University (NCAA Div. III) from 2001-03. In his two seasons with the Cardinals, Rogalski played in 16 contests posting a 3.78 GAA and .880 savepercentage.