Coyotes promote Steve Sullivan to role of assistant GM
May 18, 2017, 10:50 AM | Updated: 5:30 pm
As first reported by Arizona Sports’ Craig Morgan, the Arizona Coyotes have promoted Steve Sullivan to the role of assistant general manager.
Sullivan was formerly the team’s director of player development, a role he assumed last year after being hired in 2014 as the team’s development coach.
“Steve has done an excellent job in his role as our Director of Player Development and he is very deserving of this promotion,” said Coyotes GM John Chayka. “Steve is a Coyotes alumni who has played over 1,000 games in the NHL. He offers a unique and important perspective to our staff. I’m confident that he’s ready to take on this new role with increased responsibilities and I look forward to working with him.”
The 42-year-old Sullivan will also serve as the general manager for the Tucson Roadrunners.
“I’m very excited about my new role with the Coyotes,” Sullivan said. “I’m very grateful to John for his belief in me and look forward to helping him build a winning team in the Valley for years to come. We have a great nucleus of young, talented players in our organization and an extremely bright future ahead.”
The decision to promote Sullivan comes after the team hired Jake Goldberg, formerly of the London Knights (OHL), as the director of hockey operations. He replaced Chris O’Hearn, who was promoted to an assistant general manager role with the Coyotes when John Chayka joined the organization two years ago.
O’Hearn’s focus will be more on the salary cap while Sullivan will handle personnel.
Widely respected within the organization for how he helped develop some of the franchise’s younger talent, Sullivan played for the Coyotes in 2012-13 in what was his final NHL season, though he was traded to the New Jersey Devils after notching five goals, seven assists and 20 PIM in Arizona.
In all, Sullivan appeared in 1,011 games for six different franchises, amassing 290 goals, 457 assists and 587 PIM.
Still to be determined whether the Coyotes will fill the director of player development spot from within, or hire an outside candidate.
— Craig Morgan (@craigsmorgan) May 18, 2017
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