- May 21, 2026
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The Toronto Maple Leafs are promoting a local product to a larger role within their development staff.
On Sunday, the Leafs announced that they are hiring Patrick O’Sullivan as their director of NHL development.
O’Sullivan, 41, has been a development coach for Toronto in each of the past three seasons. Despite being a holdover from the Leafs’ previous regime under general manager Brad Treliving, he has still garnered this promotion from the team’s new regime led by general manager John Chayka and senior executive advisor Mats Sundin.
O’Sullivan is a Toronto native and former NHL forward. Selected in the second round (56th overall) by the Minnesota Wild in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, he went on to play for five NHL teams over six seasons. He is also known for speaking out about the physical and mental abuse he suffered in his youth at the hands of his father, which gave him post-traumatic stress disorder and was later detailed in his book, Breaking Away: A Harrowing True Story of Resilience, Courage and Triumph.
Before getting the chance to make his NHL debut with the Wild, O’Sullivan was traded during the 2006 draft to the Los Angeles Kings. He played two-plus seasons with the Kings, including his career-best campaign of 2007-08 in which he had 22 goals and 31 assists for 53 points in all 82 regular season games.
Just ahead of the 2009 trade deadline, O’Sullivan was dealt at first to the Carolina Hurricanes and then immediately to the Edmonton Oilers. He played a season-plus with the Oilers before getting acquired and bought out by the Phoenix Coyotes. He went on to play for the Hurricanes, Wild, and Coyotes before playing his final professional hockey for the Finnish club HIFK Helsinki in 2012-13.
O’Sullivan was also a highly productive junior player for the Mississauga IceDogs of the OHL, compiling 345 points over 234 games in his four-year junior career.
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On Sunday, the Leafs announced that they are hiring Patrick O’Sullivan as their director of NHL development.
O’Sullivan, 41, has been a development coach for Toronto in each of the past three seasons. Despite being a holdover from the Leafs’ previous regime under general manager Brad Treliving, he has still garnered this promotion from the team’s new regime led by general manager John Chayka and senior executive advisor Mats Sundin.
O’Sullivan is a Toronto native and former NHL forward. Selected in the second round (56th overall) by the Minnesota Wild in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, he went on to play for five NHL teams over six seasons. He is also known for speaking out about the physical and mental abuse he suffered in his youth at the hands of his father, which gave him post-traumatic stress disorder and was later detailed in his book, Breaking Away: A Harrowing True Story of Resilience, Courage and Triumph.
Before getting the chance to make his NHL debut with the Wild, O’Sullivan was traded during the 2006 draft to the Los Angeles Kings. He played two-plus seasons with the Kings, including his career-best campaign of 2007-08 in which he had 22 goals and 31 assists for 53 points in all 82 regular season games.
Just ahead of the 2009 trade deadline, O’Sullivan was dealt at first to the Carolina Hurricanes and then immediately to the Edmonton Oilers. He played a season-plus with the Oilers before getting acquired and bought out by the Phoenix Coyotes. He went on to play for the Hurricanes, Wild, and Coyotes before playing his final professional hockey for the Finnish club HIFK Helsinki in 2012-13.
O’Sullivan was also a highly productive junior player for the Mississauga IceDogs of the OHL, compiling 345 points over 234 games in his four-year junior career.
Continue reading...