TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Maple Leafs made a major coaching hire Wednesday, naming Jim Hiller as the 41st head coach in the franchise’s history. Hiller is no stranger to the organization, having previously served as an assistant coach with the club from 2015 to 2019.
At 57 years old, Hiller steps in to replace Craig Berube as new general manager John Chayka continues to reshape the team during the offseason.
Hiller comes to Toronto after serving as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings, where he put together a 93-58-24 record across parts of three seasons. His tenure with Los Angeles ended on March 1 when the Kings dismissed him following an 8-1 defeat to Edmonton. Prior to taking over as head coach, Hiller had spent two seasons with the Kings as an assistant.
Born in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Hiller built his coaching foundation over 11 seasons in junior hockey. His resume includes time with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans and multiple teams in the British Columbia Hockey League before he made the jump to the NHL level.
Berube was let go on May 13 after two seasons behind the bench, a departure that followed a dramatic fall from grace for the Leafs. Toronto had finished first in the Atlantic Division in 2024-25 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs, only to crash to last place in the division and 28th overall in the NHL the following season.
Berube’s dismissal came just 10 days after Chayka was brought in to replace Brad Treliving. Chayka described the decision to move on from Berube as “an opportunity to start fresh” and indicated the team would conduct a broad coaching search.
In addition to the front-office changes, Chayka made a notable trade Tuesday, sending goaltender Joseph Woll and depth defenseman Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman Emil Andrae, goalie Samuel Ersson, and a third-round selection at next week’s NHL draft.
Toronto also holds the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft — the franchise’s first top pick since selecting Auston Matthews with the first pick in the 2016 draft.
