Dan Bylsma
Dan Bylsma | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 19, 1970 |
| Occupation(s) | Ice hockey player, coach |
| Known for | Coaching Pittsburgh Penguins to 2009 Stanley Cup championship; NHL head coach for Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, Seattle Kraken |
Daniel Brian Bylsma (; born September 19, 1970) is a former professional ice hockey player and current American coach. Throughout his NHL coaching career, he has led the Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, and Seattle Kraken, and also served as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings. In the AHL, Bylsma was head coach of both the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Additionally, he has coached the United States men's national ice hockey team. Remarkably, he captured the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2009, only four months after being promoted to head coach.
Bylsma played as a forward in the NHL for the Los Angeles Kings and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He was selected 109th overall in the sixth round of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft by the Winnipeg Jets.
Early life
During high school at Western Michigan Christian High School, Bylsma demonstrated athletic talent across several sports, including golf and baseball. As a freshman, he claimed the Class D individual golf championship and was part of his school's state championship baseball team in 1985. In his final year, he earned all-state all-class recognition in baseball.
His hockey journey began at various amateur levels before progressing to Junior "B" hockey with the St. Marys Lincolns and Oakville Blades within the Ontario Hockey Association. Subsequently, he played collegiate hockey at Bowling Green State University from 1988 through 1992, during which time he was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets. Academically, Bylsma distinguished himself by being named twice to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association All Academic Team, receiving an Honorable Mention once, and earning awards for scholarly achievement throughout his college tenure.
Professional playing career
Although drafted by Winnipeg, Bylsma never appeared in a game for them; instead, he signed with the Los Angeles Kings in 1994. During the 1994–95 labor stoppage, teammates on a minor league Phoenix team nicknamed him "Disco Dan" due to his locker room dancing.
Bylsma spent parts of five seasons with the Kings as a defensive forward. In his debut season, he captained their IHL affiliate, the Phoenix Roadrunners, and later joined another Kings' IHL affiliate, the Long Beach Ice Dogs. He also played in 95 American Hockey League games across several teams and reached the Calder Cup Finals in 1994.
In 2000, Bylsma signed as a free agent with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, where he served as an alternate captain and achieved a personal best of 17 points during his second season. His NHL playing time was limited due to offensive constraints and injuries, including knee surgery that caused him to miss 31 games before being placed on waivers in 2004. He retired following the 2003–04 season.
Coaching career
Bylsma began his coaching career as an assistant with the AHL's Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (2004–05) and then with the NHL's New York Islanders (2005–06). He took charge of the Penguins' AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, during the 2008–09 season.
On February 15, 2009, Bylsma was elevated to interim head coach of a struggling Pittsburgh Penguins team. At age 38, he was the youngest head coach in the NHL and posted an impressive 18–3–4 record over his initial 25 games. On April 28, Penguins general manager Ray Shero appointed him as permanent head coach. Bylsma guided Pittsburgh to a Stanley Cup victory on June 12, 2009, becoming only the 14th coach—and second mid-season replacement—to win the Cup in their first year at the helm. He earned the Jack Adams Award for exceptional coaching in 2010–11 despite missing key players such as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
He set franchise milestones by becoming fastest to reach 200 wins (April 2013) and later surpassed all previous coaches with 233 wins for Pittsburgh (January 2014). In April 2014, he achieved the quickest ascent to 250 wins in NHL history. Despite these accomplishments, Bylsma was dismissed on June 6, 2014, shortly after new GM Jim Rutherford assumed control.
Although retained on Pittsburgh’s payroll through 2014–15 without an active role, Bylsma was appointed head coach of the Buffalo Sabres on May 28, 2015, signing a five-year deal. He became their second candidate after they pursued Mike Babcock. After two seasons marked by reported disagreements with players including star forward Jack Eichel, Bylsma was relieved of his duties on April 20, 2017.
Bylsma joined the Detroit Red Wings as an assistant coach on June 22, 2018 but departed following the conclusion of the 2020–21 season. Returning to the AHL in August 2021, he served as assistant coach for the Charlotte Checkers, affiliated with the Seattle Kraken. On June 21, 2022, he was named head coach of Seattle’s new AHL affiliate team, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. After leading them to an impressive 46–15–6 record during the 2023–24 season, Bylsma earned promotion to head coach of the Seattle Kraken on May 28, 2024.
Following just one season at Seattle’s helm, Bylsma was dismissed on April 21, 2025; Kraken general manager Ron Francis cited a comprehensive review of team performance alongside future goals as reasons for seeking new leadership behind the bench.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1986–87 | Oakville Blades | CJHL | 10 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | St. Marys Lincolns | WOHL | 27 | 14 | 28 | 42 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | St. Marys Lincolns | WOHL | 40 | 30 | 39 | 69 | 33 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 26 | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Bowling Green University | CCHA | 39 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Bowling Green University | CCHA | 44 | 13 | 17 | 30 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Bowling Green University | CCHA | 40 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Bowling Green University | CCHA | 34 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Greensboro Monarchs | ECHL | 60 | 25 | 35 | 60 | 66 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 1992–93 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Greensboro Monarchs | ECHL | 25 | 14 | 16 | 30 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 AHL season | Albany River Rats | AHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Moncton Hawks | AHL | 50 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 25 | 21 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 31 | ||
| 1994–95 IHL season | Phoenix Roadrunners | IHL | 81 | 19 | 23 | 42 | 41 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 | ||
| 1995–96 NHL season | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 IHL season | Phoenix Roadrunners | IHL | 78 | 22 | 20 | 42 | 48 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1996–97 NHL season | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 79 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 NHL season | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 65 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 33 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1997–98 IHL season | Long Beach Ice Dogs | IHL | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 NHL season | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 AHL season | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||||||
| 1998–99 IHL season | Long Beach Ice Dogs | IHL | 58 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 53 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 1999–00 NHL season | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 64 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 55 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1999–00 IHL season | Long Beach Ice Dogs | IHL | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |||||||
| 1999–00 AHL season | Lowell Lock Monsters | AHL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||||||
| 2000–01 NHL season | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 82 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 22 | |||||||
| 2001–02 NHL season | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim | NHL | 77 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 28 | |||||||
| IHL totals | 231 | 53 | 57 | 110 | 144 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 14 | ||||
| NHL totals | 429 | 19 | 43 | 62 | 184 | 16 | ۰ | ۱ | ۱ | ۲ | ||||
Awards and achievements
- Stanley Cup winner – 2009
- Recipient of the Jack Adams Award – 2011
Head coaching statistics
| Team | Season | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | OTL | Points | Standing | W | L | Win % | Outcome | ||
| PIT | 2008–09 | 25 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 40 | 2nd in Atlantic | 16 | 8 | Template:Winpct | Captured Stanley Cup (DET) |
| PIT | 2009–10 | 82 | 47 | 28 | 7 | 101 | 2nd in Atlantic | 7 | 6 | Template:Winpct | Eliminated in conference semifinals (MTL) |
| PIT | 2010–11 | 82 | 49 | 25 | 8 | 106 | 2nd in Atlantic | 3 | 4 | Template:Winpct | Defeated in conference quarterfinals (TBL) |
| PIT | 2011–12 | 82 | 51 | 25 | 6 | 108 | 2nd in Atlantic | 2 | 4 | Template:Winpct | Knocked out in conference quarterfinals (PHI) |
| PIT | 2012–13 | 48 | 36 | 12 | 0 | 72 | 1st in Atlantic | 8 | 7 | Template:Winpct | Lost in conference finals (BOS) |
| PIT | 2013–14 | 82 | 51 | 24 | 7 | 109 | 1st in Metropolitan | 7 | 6 | Template:Winpct | Exited in second round (NYR) |
| PIT cumulative | 401 | 252 | 117 | 32 | 43 | 35 | Template:Winpct | Six playoff appearances One Stanley Cup championship | |||
| BUF | 2015–16 | 82 | 35 | 36 | 11 | 81 | 7th in Atlantic | — | — | — | Did not qualify for playoffs |
| BUF | 2016–17 | 82 | 33 | 37 | 12 | 78 | 8th in Atlantic | — | — | — | Missed postseason |
| BUF cumulative | 164 | 68 | 73 | 23 | — | — | — | ||||
| SEA | 2024–25 | 82 | 35 | 41 | 6 | 76 | 7th in Pacific | — | — | — | Failed to reach playoffs |
| SEA cumulative | 82 | 35 | 41 | 6 | — | — | — | ||||
| Overall total | 647 | 355 | 231 | 61 | 771 | 43 | 35 | Template:Winpct | Six postseason appearances One Stanley Cup title | ||