It took a while, but the Blue Jackets finally have their coaching staff in place for the upcoming season.
The team announced July 30 that former Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato
was hired to join a staff led by head coach Rick Bowness, a move that's been pending for a month. The Blue Jackets also announced the hiring of San Jose Sharks assistant video coach Cody Ward to head their video staff.Granato, 58, and Ward, 28, join assistant Trent Vogelhuber, assistant Jared Boll, goaltending coach Niklas Backstrom and assistant video coach Cam Briere.
“I am very excited about the staff we have put together,” Bowness said in a statement. “I’ve known Donny [Granato] for many
years and have great respect for him as a coach, but more importantly as a person. I’m really looking forward to working with him, Trent, Jared, Nik, Cody and Cam to help our players be the best they can be individually to help our team reach its goals.”
Granato's most recent coaching experience was a head coaching role for the U.S. men's team at the 2026 world championships. That was his return to the bench after being fired by the Sabres in 2024, ending a stint that covered parts of four seasons.
Granato's time in Buffalo included his first NHL head coaching opportunity, which ended with the Sabres going 122-125-27 under his guidance. That was after joining the Sabres in 2019 as an NHL assistant. Granto also spent two years (2017-19) as an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks, and brings experience as a head coach at the AHL and junior levels (USHL).
Additionally, Granato spent one season as an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin (2016-17), where he played for four seasons. He has has a long history with the U.S. National Team Development Program, and comes from a long line of U.S. hockey players that includes his brothers, Tony and Rob, and sister Cammi, an eight-time captain of U.S. women's national teams who's in her fifth season as a Vancouver Canucks assistant general manager.
Ward spent four seasons with the Sharks in his assistant video coaching role. He previously worked as video coach for the AHL's Chicago Wolves during their 2022 Calder Cup championship and worked as a video coordinator/student manager at Canisius College from 2017-21. Ward was also a video coordinator with Die Adler Mannheim during a 2015 championship in Germany's top professional league (DEL).
“Don Granato is very smart, hard-working, and has spent a lifetime in this game as a player, head coach, assistant coach and scout, and his experiences will greatly benefit Rick, our staff and most importantly, our players,” Blue Jackets president/general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. “I’ve also worked with [Ward] in the past and he is a bright, young guy who will be a great asset to our staff.”
Dispatch Blue Jackets/Crew reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets hire Don Granato, Cody Ward as assistant coaches
