When you look at success in the AHL, you don’t have to look very far to see Roy Sommer’s name. Nicknamed “Cowboy Roy”, Sommer is the longest tenured and winningest coach in AHL history. His 1,813 games played leads the pack by almost 600 as of the end of the 22-23 season, and he has almost 200 more wins than second place’s Fred “Bun” Cook. Considering the current leader for wins and games coached is Hershey’s Todd Nelson with 681 and 380 respectively, it looks like we’ll be waiting a while to see someone break Sommer’s records.
Good as Gold(en State)
The long time coach with the San Jose Sharks AHL affiliate being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, when the ASC is in San Jose, has to add another layer of meaningfulness to Sommer, who was born just down the road in Oakland, CA, and who was just the third Californian born player ever to reach the NHL. He was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1977, but wouldn’t make his NHL debut until the 1980-81 season, for the Edmonton Oilers. Though he only played three NHL games in his career, he scored his first NHL goal in his debut, and would go on to play a total of 741 professional games in the NHL, AHL, IHL (International Hockey League), CHL (Central Hockey League) and WCHL (West Coach Hockey League), recording 420 points across a ten year playing career.
It’s pretty cool. You know, growing up right down the road, this used to be cherry blossoms and orchards, and now look at the place. It’s a special time in my life right now.
Sommer on being inducted into the Hall of Fame here in San Jose
Also included in his long list of career achievements are a Calder Cup championship with the Maine Mariners in 1984 and an IHL Turner Cup with the Muskegon Lumberjacks in 1986.
Hanging Up The Skates
Sommer retired from playing professional hockey in 1987, he immediately joined the coaching ranks of the Muskegon Lumberjacks; his most recent team. He would then work his way up the unofficial coaching rankings, spending a season with the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL before jumping into a role with the ECHL’s Roanoake Valley Rebels in 1991-92. Sommer spent five seasons coaching in the ECHL for both Roanoake and the Richmond Renegades, adding a Kelly Cup to his trophy cabinet, before accepting an assistant coach role with his newest hometown team, the San Jose Sharks.
My wife asked me why I didn’t interview for the assistant coach role with the Sharks. I was coaching roller hockey and in the ECHL, but I ended up interviewing, and I think I must have been one of Dean Lombardi’s weird experiments that he always had going, because he ended up hiring me.
Sommer on how he ended up coaching with the Sharks
After two years with the Sharks, in 1998, Sommer was named the head coach of the Kentucky Thoroughblades, the Sharks AHL affiliate, replacing Jim Wiley. For the next twenty five years, Sommer would coach the Sharks best and brightest prospects, from Kentucky (1998-2001) to Cleveland (2001-2006) to Worcester (2006-2015) and finally back home to San Jose in 2015, when the Barracuda was formed. He spend part of the 2019-20 season with the Sharks as their interim associate coach, but returned to the Barracuda the year after; clearly AHL hockey was where Sommer’s passions lay.
Winning Mindset
Over that quarter century, Sommer had an 808-721-107 record with the Sharks organisation, and led them to 13 Calder Cup Playoff berths, including most recently a trip to the Conference final in 2017. That season he was awarded Coach Of The Year honours as his Barracuda racked up 43 wins on the year.
More than 150 players that spent time in the AHL with Sommer went on to play in the National Hockey League, including Colin Blackwell, Dan Boyle, Justin Braun, Jonathan Cheechoo, Ryane Clowe, Logan Couture, Dylan DeMelo, Christian Ehrhoff, Barclay Goodrow, Yanni Gourde, Thomas Greiss, Scott Hannan, Tomas Hertl, Miikka Kiprusoff, Timo Meier, Jake Middleton, Douglas Murray, Evgeni Nabokov and Joe Pavelski. For Sommer, it was about winning, but it was also about developing the future.
In 2022, Sommer would leave the Sharks organisation for the San Diego Gulls in what would be his final season coaching in the AHL (for now). His final season was a 20-49-3 record, and the Gulls did not make the playoffs.
What Now?
Currently, Sommer is coaching the Wenatchee Wild of the Western Hockey League. It’s his first season with the team, and they have a record of 27-17-4 so far this year. Sommer has only one already drafted prospect on his roster this season, Nashville’s Graham Sward. From decades of experience in developing already drafted prospects, Sommer has a new challenge: turning his players into those prospects in the first place.
I had to adapt. I think if I didn’t adapt, I wouldn’t have still been in the game. I’ve always been kind of lowkey, and the players feed off of that. I don’t think yelling and screaming works any more. The players ask a lot more questions nowadays, I can tell you that.
Sommer on the change from coaching AHL to WHL
Hall Of Fame
The induction of the Class of 2024 will take place as part of the festivities at the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Tech CU, to be hosted by the San Jose Barracuda. The American Hockey League Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony is scheduled for February 5 at Montgomery Theater in San Jose.
Sommer is one of four inducted members in the Class of 2024, which also includes Dennis Bonvie, Gordie Clark and Gerry Ehman.
