Rangers Hire Ex-Bruins Coach For AHL Squad

Earlier this offseason, the Boston Bruins moved on from assistant coach Jay Leach, who had coached their defenseman for the last two seasons.

 The departure ended Leach’s third tenure with the Bruins’ organization.​

Leach initially played over 200 AHL games with the Providence Bruins and 2 NHL games with the Boston Bruins from 2004 through 2007.

Leach returned to Boston roughly a decade later, spending five seasons as head coach of the Providence Bruins (2017-21) with one prior as an assistant coach before making the jump to the NHL as an assistant coach for the Seattle Kraken.

Leach then rejoined the organization in June 2024 as an assistant coach for Jim Montgomery’s staff, before current Bruins Head Coach Marco Sturm retained Leach for the 2025-26 season.

Leach has been tipped to be a future NHL Head Coach, but for now, the New York Rangers hired Leach to be their next AHL Head Coach, placing him as the newest Hartford Wolf Pack head coach.

The Wolf Pack finished dead last in the entire AHL last season.

Leach will look to continue building his resume in Hartford.

The Bruins wished him luck:

Thank you, Jay! Good luck in Hartford. pic.twitter.com/kwYjBMfeQW

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) June 5, 2026