Former Maple Leafs Forward Joe Thornton Hired Onto Sharks' Hockey Operations Staff

The San Jose Sharks are bringing former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Joe Thornton onto their staff full-time.

Sharks general manager Mike Grier announced a string of hockey operations changes on Tuesday, with Thornton's name at the forefront, being hired as a player development coach/hockey operations advisor. The 46-year-old, hired a day after his birthday, participated in Sharks' development camp in early July, taking to the ice as a coach.

Thornton will join former teammate Patrick Marleau in the role. Both players spent most of their careers as teammates in San Jose before exiting the organization later in their careers. Although they didn't cross paths in Toronto, both Marleau and Thornton once played for the Maple Leafs.

He was one of eight names selected to be part of the 2025 class of Hockey Hall of Fame inductees.

The London, Ontario-born forward signed a one-year, $700,000 contract before the NHL's bubble season in October 2021. Due to Canada’s COVID-19 restrictions at the time, he, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and former Maple Leafs Rasmus Sandin and Mac Hollowell quarantined together for two weeks before joining the team for training camp.

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Thornton began the season on a line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, though as the season went on, his ice time shrank. He scored five goals and 15 assists in 44 regular-season games in the NHL's Canadian division. He followed that up with one goal in seven games against the Montreal Canadiens in the first round.

Beyond his time with the Maple Leafs, Thornton spent 15 of his 24 NHL seasons with the Sharks, where he scored 1,055 points (251 goals and 804 assists) in 1,104 games. Drafted first overall by the Boston Bruins in 1997, Thornton played 532 games with the club, scoring 454 points (169 goals and 285 assists) in 532 games before being traded to the Sharks in November 2025.

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Thornton formally retired in late October 2023. His career finished with 430 goals and 1,109 assists in 1,714 games, split between the Bruins, Sharks, Maple Leafs, and Florida Panthers. The Sharks retired Thornton’s jersey in November, commemorating the forward’s legacy in San Jose and beyond.

(Top photo of Thornton: Nick Turchiaro / Imagn Images)

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