Jay Leach Named Head Coach of Hartford Wolf Pack
The Wolf Pack have found their new bench boss after a nightmarish 2025-26 season saw them clean house.
On Friday afternoon, the Hartford Wolf Pack made their most important move of the summer. They and the New York Rangers jointly announced that Jay Leach has been named the ninth head coach in Wolf Pack history.
OFFICIAL: Jay Leach has been named the ninth Head Coach in Hartford Wolf Pack history. pic.twitter.com/IKaWVgScOU
— Hartford Wolf Pack (@HWPHockey) June 5, 2026
Leach, 46, has an expansive hockey career. A former defenseman drafted 115th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 1998 NHL entry draft, Leach appeared in 70 NHL games with the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens, and San Jose Sharks from 2001 through 2013. Leach also suited up in 499 AHL games and 180 ECHL contests.
After his on-ice career ended, Leach turned to coaching. In July 2015, he was hired as an assistant coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, serving alongside current Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan. Leach served as the Penguins' head coach for five games after Sullivan was promoted to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He eventually found his first head coaching job before the 2017-18 season, being named the bench boss of the Providence Bruins. Leach served in that position for four seasons before he was named an assistant coach of the Seattle Kraken before the 2021-22 campaign. After three years in Seattle, Leach returned to Boston, the place he made his NHL debut, as an assistant for two seasons.
During his four seasons as head coach in Providence, Leach led his teams to a .500 or better win percentage. The Bruins recorded at least 80 points in all but the 2020-21 season, which was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Notable names to play under Leach in Providence include current Wolf Pack forward Anton Blidh, current Rangers defenseman Urho Vaakanainen, Stanley Cup winning goaltender Jordan Binnington, and more.
Now, Leach returns to the head coaching ranks, taking over the reins in Hartford after a dismal season saw the Wolf Pack finish in last place league-wide and ended with the firings of then-head coach Grant Potulny and his assistants, Jamie Tardif and Paul Mara. Leach and his new staff, yet to be announced, will aim to turn the Wolf Pack around and secure a Calder Cup Playoff spot for the first time since 2024.
