At long last, the San Jose Sharks have tracked down Hall of Famer Joe Thornton and officially added him to the organization.
Despite being around the team for the majority of the 24-25 season, Thornton did not have an official role with the Sharks. On Tuesday, the Sharks announced multiple front office changes, including Thornton.
Jumbo’s official role with the San Jose Sharks is Player Development Coach/Hockey Operations Advisor.
Order those business cards.
We’ve got some new names and titles in the Hockey Ops department!— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) July 15, 2025
GM Mike Grier told reporters earlier in the off-season that there was a hope he would officially sign on, but Thornton was “a hard guy to track down.”
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“Hopefully, he’ll sign the contract and help out. He’s already basically been doing player development for the love of the game,” Grier said. “Hopefully, sometime this summer, we can get him on board officially as a development coach.”
Thornton was on the ice during the Sharks’ development camp at the beginning of July.
While Thornton is the biggest move for the San Jose Sharks front office, there is another significant change.
Charlie Townsend is now the Director of Hockey Operations, a significant promotion and role. Townsend had been the Director of Hockey Projects and Analytics from 23-25, and has been working within the organization for 13 years.
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