Sharks set to interview former first-rounder for head coaching role

General Manager Mike Grier has been keeping his eye out for the most ideal candidate for a young Sharks team that's set to select first overall in June's NHL Entry Draft. One of those candidates Grier is set to reportedly interview for the vacancy is a well-known face to San Jose Sharks fans.

According to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, the San Jose Sharks have received permission from the Los Angeles Kings to talk with former first-round pick and long-time NHLer Marco Sturm.

Sturm, 45, was selected 21st overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft and went on to appear in 553 career games across parts of eight seasons before being dealt to the Boston Bruins as part of the Joe Thornton trade in 2005. In those 553 games with San Jose, Sturm had 273 points (128 goals, 145 assists).

Following his playing career, Sturm turned his attention to coaching, starting out with the German national team in 2015 where he was named Head Coach and General Manager. In 2018, Sturm led Germany to the gold medal game at the Winter Olympics in South Korea, where they'd go on to lose to Russia.

What he did on the international stage with Germany began to catch the attention of NHL teams. Later in 2018, he was named an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings, a role he held until 2022 before spending the last two seasons as the bench boss of their American Hockey League affiliate, the Ontario Reign.

It's a bit unclear who else the Sharks plan to interview for their head coaching vacancy, but there's no doubt that Marco Sturm would be a strong candidate for the job. Despite being only 45, he has plenty of experience behind the bench and it would be a solid fit for the current Sharks roster with a young core, that'll feature Macklin Celebrini, for Sturm to work with.