Marco Sturm enters first training camp as NHL head coach

By: Belle Fraser / Boston Bruins.com

Sept 17, 2025

BOSTON – Everything started to fall into place for Marco Sturm.

After three seasons as the head coach of the Ontario Reign in the American Hockey League, Sturm had the urge to take the next step in his career. It happened to coincide with the Boston Bruins’ search for a new leader behind the bench.

And, on Wednesday, as Sturm stood at Warrior Ice Arena to open the first day of training camp, it all felt right to him.

“You know, a lot of people ask me, ‘When were you ready?’ It just clicked. And I felt it. I think after year two, and especially this summer, I felt it. I felt this is the time,” Sturm said. “Timing is everything, and I couldn’t have ended up in a better spot with Boston.”

Sturm enters the 2025-26 season as the 30th head coach in Bruins’ history; he earned the title on June 5. He brings a fresh vision – rooted in defensive responsibility, strong transition, and offensive urgency – to a team that will look for players up and down the roster to rise to the occasion.

General manager Don Sweeney and Sturm alike want the younger players to make a push through the next few weeks of training camp and preseason competition.

“It is a competitive environment and we know that and we want it to be that way, but we also want to make sure that collectively we have to operate as a team from day one,” Sweeney said. “The younger players walking into camp – they just have to realize, if they’re good enough, we can’t keep them out of the NHL. We are not trying to keep players out of the NHL.”

Sturm has a proven track record of helping prospects reach their full potential and take the next step. Before earning the head coach role for the Reign in the AHL, Sturm was the assistant coach for the Los Angeles Kings from 2018-22. He will lean on both of those experiences, he said, while forming the Bruins’ roster.

“I’ve worked with all the young kids the last three years, so I want them to have success,” Sturm said. “I am going to do everything I can to put them in a good spot. I want them to push some other guys and maybe some more veterans, too.”

As part of this effort, the Bruins did not sign anyone to a Professional Tryout this year. Instead, they will solely look internally to fill the needs in their lineup.

“Had a lot of discussions. We decided we’re not going to bring anybody in at this time,” Sweeney said. “I think that is a little bit of our determination of some of the players that we really want to see in some situations.”

Sweeney also said David Pastrnak will not skate for the first couple of days of training camp. The forward got “a little tendonitis” in his last training block, and the team decided to precautionarily hold him out this week. Pastrnak is still on the ice and expected to practice next week.

“That’s already another opportunity for some other guys,” Sturm said of Pastrnak’s absence. “We didn’t sign a PTO because of that reason. There will be opportunities. That is what I am most excited about.”

As Sturm builds relationships with new faces on the roster, he already has familiarity with two: Tanner Jeannot (who signed a five-year contract with the Bruins on July 1) and Viktor Arvidsson (traded to Boston from Edmonton the same day). Both overlapped with Sturm in the Kings’ organization.

“I was really happy Don signed them,” Sturm said. “Because I know how important they are, not just as a player but also as a person and a leader in our locker room.”

Boston’s training camp will feature a mix of veterans like Jeannot and Arvidsson, as well as an influx of players trying to turn a corner. It will be up to Sturm to decide on the opening-night roster. Sweeney said collaboration “is an everyday event,” but he has his full trust in Sturm’s vision for the next era of Bruins hockey.

On-ice sessions will begin Thursday at Warrior Ice Arena and lead into the Bruins’ first preseason game on Sunday at TD Garden against the Washington Capitals. Sturm’s countdown is finally over.

“This is a day I was looking forward to for a long time,” Sturm said. “I am really happy and excited about that – to get things going tomorrow. And do what I love to do. Go on the ice with my players, with my staff, and get to work.”