Former Barrie Colts star Sheldon Keefe has been named the new head coach of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs.
Keefe, who has recently served as head coach of the Maple Leafs' AHL farm team, was promoted to the position late Wednesday afternoon after the team announced the firing of Mike Babcock, who was hired in May 2015.
Keefe, who is also a former coach of the OHL's Soo Greyhounds, takes over an NHL team that has a 9-10-4 record through 23 games this season.
In a press release, Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said the team was “extremely grateful and appreciative of the foundation he has helped us build here,” in reference to Babacock.
Shanahan added that Keefe’s work with the AHL's Toronto Marlies played a role in the decision to hire him to take over.
“At this time, we collectively felt that it was best to make a change to Sheldon Keefe,” Shanahan said. “Sheldon’s record with the Marlies in terms of development and on-ice success during his time in our organization has compelled us all to feel that he is the right person to take us to the next stage in our evolution.”
Keefe joined the Greyhounds after being hired by current Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, who held the same role with the Greyhounds at the time.
Keefe was hired to replace Mike Stapleton during the 2012-13 season and coached the team until he made the jump to pro hockey prior to the 2015-16 season when he joined the Marlies.
Prior to joining the Greyhounds, Keefe was part of the ownership group of the Central Canadian League’s Pembroke Lumber Kings, a franchise he also spent time as general manager and coach with.
As a player, Keefe played two seasons in the OHL, splitting his first season with the Toronto St. Michael's Majors and Barrie Colts.
In his second season, Keefe had 48 goals and 121 points as the Colts advanced to the Memorial Cup that season.
Keefe played parts of five seasons in pro hockey and played 125 NHL games with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
