Ryan Clifford McGill (born February 28, 1969) is a Canadian former professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
player, and current assistant coach with the
New Jersey Devils of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL). He played in the 151 games in the NHL with the
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...
,
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...
, and
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
between 1991 and 1995. McGill's playing career ended prematurely as a result of an eye injury.
Playing career
McGill is a native of Sherwood Park, Alberta. A second-round draft choice of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1987 NHL Draft, he played a total of 151 career NHL games over a seven-year career with the Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers. His professional playing career also included the American Hockey League and International Hockey League. As a player in the Blackhawks development system, he was a member of the 1990 Turner Cup Champions which was then coached by
Darryl Sutter
Darryl John Sutter (born August 19, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current head coach of the Calgary Flames. He is one of seven Sutter brothers, six of whom made the NHL ( Brent, Brian, Darryl, Duane, Rich, and ...
.
As an Edmonton Oiler, McGill was struck in the left eye by a puck and was declared legally blind in that eye. He was forced into early retirement at the age of 26.
Coaching career
McGill served as an assistant coach for the
Edmonton Ice
The Edmonton Ice were a junior ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, that played two seasons in the Western Hockey League from 1996 to 1998.
History
The WHL expanded to Edmonton in 1996, and the Ice began play at the Northlands Agri ...
in the
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...
during the
1996–97 season. When the team began the
1997–98 season with nine losses and one tie, head
Dave Siciliano
Dave Siciliano (born July 1946) is a Canadian former ice hockey coach and player. He played university hockey for the Lakehead Nor'Westers, and led them to the International Collegiate Hockey Association championship as the most valuable playe ...
was fired on October 24, 1997, and replaced by McGill.
McGill coached 350 games in the Western Hockey League, capping it off by steering the
Kootenay Ice
The Kootenay Ice (officially stylized as ICE) were a major junior ice hockey team based in Cranbrook, British Columbia, and competed in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team played its home games at Western Financial Place. The franchise w ...
to the 2001–02 Memorial Cup title, the championship of all Canadian Major Junior hockey.
He guided the
Hartford Wolf Pack (
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
AHL affiliate) team to the 2003–04 regular season Eastern Conference title, tying for first place overall with a 44–24–12–2 mark for 102 points. That year, his team fell short of a trip to the Calder Cup Finals, losing in the Eastern Conference Finals to the
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and are the AHL affiliates of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins. They play at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barr ...
.
McGill joined the Calgary Flames as an assistant coach in June 2009 after four seasons as the head coach for the Flames
AHL primary affiliate team in Quad City and Omaha.
He was named head coach of the
WHL's
Kootenay Ice
The Kootenay Ice (officially stylized as ICE) were a major junior ice hockey team based in Cranbrook, British Columbia, and competed in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team played its home games at Western Financial Place. The franchise w ...
on July 4, 2012. On July 28, 2015, he was named head coach of the
OHL OHL or Ohl may refer to:
Initialisms
*Latvian Hockey Higher League, known in Latvian as the ''Optibet hokeja līga''
*Oberste Heeresleitung, the Supreme Army Command of Germany in World War I
*Obrascón Huarte Lain, a Spanish construction company
* ...
's
Owen Sound Attack
The Owen Sound Attack are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League based in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. Based in Owen Sound since 1989, and operating under the current name since 2000, the Attack play their home games at the J.D. ...
. He was awarded the
Matt Leyden Trophy
The Matt Leyden Trophy is awarded annually to the Ontario Hockey League Coach of the Year. The award is chosen by fellow OHL general managers. Teams were not permitted to vote for a coach from their own hockey club. Coaches receive five points for ...
as OHL Coach of the Year in April 2017. McGill stepped down as head coach in June 2017 to become an assistant head coach for the NHL expansion team, the
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expa ...
.
On June 29, 2017, he was named an assistant coach with the
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expa ...
.
He was fired by the Vegas Golden Knights.
On July 29, 2022, McGill was named an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGill, Ryan
1969 births
Living people
Calgary Flames coaches
Canadian ice hockey coaches
Canadian ice hockey defencemen
Chicago Blackhawks draft picks
Chicago Blackhawks players
Edmonton Ice coaches
Edmonton Oilers players
Halifax Citadels players
Hershey Bears players
Indianapolis Ice players
Kootenay Ice coaches
Lethbridge Broncos players
Medicine Hat Tigers players
New Jersey Devils coaches
Owen Sound Attack coaches
People from Sherwood Park
Philadelphia Flyers players
Saginaw Hawks players
Swift Current Broncos players
Vegas Golden Knights coaches