BREAKING: The Boston Bruins elevate Joe Sacco and bring aboard Jay Leach as an assistant coach.
The Boston Bruins hired Jay Leach as an assistant coach on Wednesday, strengthening head coach Jim Montgomery’s 2024–25 coaching staff.
After serving as head coach of the Providence Bruins, Boston’s American Hockey League affiliate, for five seasons (2017–21), Leach rejoins the team after serving as an assistant for the previous three seasons with the Seattle Kraken. Leach has an AHL Bruins record of 136-77-26.
The 44-year-old Leach competed in the NHL, AHL, and ECHL for 13 professional seasons. With two games played with the Bruins in 2005–06 and portions of four seasons spent in Providence, the native of Syracuse, New York, concluded his NHL career with seventy appearances.
According to a team statement, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney expressed his excitement about welcoming Jay Leach back to the team: “We believe Jay will integrate quickly and complement our current staff as he comes back to the Bruins to work with our defense corps. Jay was a very successful coach with the Providence Bruins where he greatly impacted our player development system, and he also brings valuable experience as an assistant coach from the Seattle Kraken.”
Together with Leach, the Bruins have made a few additional moves: elevating Joe Sacco to associate coach and reassigning assistant coach John McLean to a new job in player development as a skating and skills coach.
Along with Sacco, Dan Darrow, Mathew Myers, and Chris Kelly, Leach becomes a member of Montgomery’s team. Boston lost to the Florida Panthers in six games in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, finishing with a 47-20-15 record.