Just days after the team was announced, San Jose’s new professional women’s hockey team has already made a splash by adding one of the game’s most decorated coaches to serve as the head coach and general manager.
Friday morning, the team announced it has hired Troy Ryan to handle both roles. Ryan, 54, was the longtime head coach of Team Canada, winning a gold medal in 2022 and the silver at the Milan Cortina Games in February, and led the PWHL’s Toronto Sceptres to the playoffs in two of its first three seasons of existence.
“I’m honored and incredibly excited to help build this organization in San Jose,” Ryan said in a statement. “Expansion creates a rare opportunity to shape everything with intention from the standards and culture to the people and connection to the community. We want to build a team that plays with purpose, represents The Bay Area with pride, and helps to continue to grow women’s hockey on the West Coast.
“We know there is a lot of work ahead, and that is exactly what makes this opportunity so special.”
Canada head coach Troy Ryan, top center, watches a replay during the second period of a women’s ice hockey semifinal match against Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Ryan, who just completed his third season as the Sceptres’ head coach and was the PWHL’s coach of the year in 2024, is the first person to hold both roles in the league’s three-year history.
“Troy is a consummate professional and culture driver who has excelled in leadership roles both in the PWHL and with Canada’s national women’s hockey team on the international stage,” PWHL VP of hockey operations Jayna Hefford said in a statement. “Troy has a keen understanding of what it takes to build and lead a high-performing team, and his diverse set of experiences and competitive spirit make him a strong fit to hold the dual role of general manager and coach in San Jose.”
Ryan coached the Canadian women’s national team for six seasons and led them to a gold medal at the 2022 Olympics and three IIHF Women’s World Championship titles in 2021, 2022 and 2024.
But Ryan stepped back from Team Canada after a rough 2025-26 season where Canada lost to USA at the World Championships, Olympics and was swept at the Rivalry Series.
He was named the head coach in Toronto prior to the 2024 season and led them to their best record and made the postseason in two of his three years there.
MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 04: Head coach Troy Ryan of Team Canada directs his team during a training session on day minus two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on February 04, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The PWHL operates as a single-entity league, meaning the league’s founder, Dodgers owner Mark Walter, serves as the ownership for all 12 teams. The league pays the player salaries and appoints front office staff to each club.
San Jose is one of four expansion teams to enter the league in the 2026-27 season, joining Detroit, Hamilton and Las Vegas. The amateur draft is on June 17, and the league is yet to announce protocol for an expansion roster-building process or when free agency will begin.
Ryan’s stint with PWHL San Jose will begin on June 2.