Troy Ryan has been named General Manager and Head Coach of the PWHL San Jose, making him the first individual to hold both roles in the league’s history. The announcement was made by the Professional Women’s Hockey League on Tuesday. Ryan, a respected figure in women’s hockey, brings over 20 years of coaching and leadership experience to the Bay Area.
Ryan previously served as head coach of the Toronto Sceptres for the team’s first three seasons. During that time, he led the Sceptres to the league’s best regular-season record in 2024 and the second-best in 2024-25, both resulting in playoff appearances. His work with the Sceptres earned him the PWHL’s inaugural Coach of the Year award in 2024.
Jayna Hefford, PWHL Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, praised Ryan’s leadership and track record. “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. 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’s international coaching career includes nine years with Canada’s National Women’s Hockey Team. He served as head coach for the last six of those years, guiding Canada to an Olympic gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games and three IIHF Women’s World Championship titles in 2021, 2022, and 2024. He also led Canada to silver medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
Before his time with the PWHL and Canada’s national team, Ryan spent over 20 years coaching at the university and junior levels. He was head coach of Dalhousie University’s women’s hockey team from 2020 to 2023. Earlier in his career, he held multiple roles with the Campbellton Tigers and Metro Marauders of the Maritime Hockey League. Ryan has won four Hockey Nova Scotia and Maritime Junior A Hockey League Coach of the Year awards and was honored with the Hockey Nova Scotia Lifetime Achievement award in 2011.
“I’m honored and incredibly excited to help build this organization in San Jose,” Ryan said. “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.”
Ryan will now focus on building the hockey operations staff and assembling the roster for PWHL San Jose’s inaugural 2026-27 season. The 2026 PWHL Draft is scheduled for June 17 in Detroit. The league will announce all roster-building decisions in the coming weeks.
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