Jay Woodcroft to Join Anaheim Ducks as an ASSISTANT Coach

The Anaheim Ducks have hired Jay Woodcroft as an assistant coach, finalizing a new bench staff that now includes two former NHL head coaches.

The 48-year-old joins Anaheim following his tenure with the Edmonton Oilers, where he served as head coach from February 2022 through November 2023. In that span, Woodcroft compiled a 79-41-13 regular season record, reaching the Western Conference Final in 2022 and the second round in 2023. He was dismissed 13 games into the 2023–24 season following a 3-9-1 start.

Woodcroft also held previous assistant coaching roles with the Oilers (2015–2018), San Jose Sharks (2008–2015), and spent three seasons as head coach of the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, posting a 105-71-21 record.

Fit in Anaheim

Woodcroft joins Anaheim’s new head coach Joel Quenneville, who was hired in May and officially reinstated by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in July after a nearly four-year absence from the league.

Quenneville, 66, is the second-winningest head coach in NHL history (969 wins) and led the Chicago Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup titles (2010, 2013, 2015). His return follows his resignation from the Florida Panthers in October 2021 related to the handling of the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks investigation.

Together, Quenneville and Woodcroft bring over 1,000 combined games of NHL head coaching experience to Anaheim’s bench. Woodcroft’s addition adds a modern coaching voice to complement Quenneville’s veteran presence.

Organizational Context

The coaching moves come after the Ducks parted ways with Greg Cronin, who led Anaheim to a 35-37-10 record in 2024–25 — a 21-point improvement over the previous season. Anaheim has missed the playoffs in each of the past seven seasons.

With the hiring of Quenneville and Woodcroft, Anaheim signals a shift toward experienced NHL leadership as it enters the next phase of its organizational rebuild. No additional staff changes have been announced at this time.