Toronto Maple Leafs name Patrick O’Sullivan director of NHL development

By Liam Tremblay — 9 August 2026 — 3 min read

O’Sullivan’s new role with the Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced the promotion of Patrick O’Sullivan to the position of director of NHL development. The team made the announcement on Sunday, confirming O’Sullivan’s elevated role within the organization. This move is part of a broader restructuring within the Maple Leafs‘ front office under the leadership of new general manager John Chayka and senior executive Mats Sundin.

O’Sullivan, who is 41, has been a development coach with the Maple Leafs for the past three seasons. During this time, he worked with the current NHL roster, focusing on skill sessions. His promotion indicates that his work has been well-regarded by the team, leading to this new appointment just over a month before the new season is set to begin.

Despite being a holdover from the previous regime under general manager Brad Treliving, O’Sullivan has secured this promotion from the new leadership. This change highlights the ongoing adjustments within the Maple Leafs‘ management structure, which also includes a new coach, Jim Hiller, and several other new front-office staff.

O’Sullivan’s playing career and background

A native of Toronto, O’Sullivan is a former NHL forward with a career that spanned six seasons between 2006 and 2012. He was initially selected in the second round, 56th overall, by the Minnesota Wild in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. However, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings during the 2006 draft before making his debut with the Wild.

During his time in the NHL, O’Sullivan played for five different teams. These included the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, and Arizona Coyotes. In 334 career games, he recorded 58 goals and 161 points.

His most productive season came in 2007-08 with the Los Angeles Kings, where he registered 22 goals and 31 assists for a total of 53 points across all 82 regular season games. Ahead of the 2009 trade deadline, O’Sullivan was involved in a trade that sent him first to the Carolina Hurricanes and then immediately to the Edmonton Oilers.

O’Sullivan played for the Oilers for more than a season, putting up 13 goals and 40 points in 92 games during his two seasons in Edmonton between 2008 and 2010. He was acquired by the Oilers in a deal with the Hurricanes for Erik Cole. He was later acquired and bought out by the Phoenix Coyotes, and then traded to the Coyotes in the summer of 2010 in a deal that brought defenceman Jim Vandermeer to Edmonton.

Before his NHL career, O’Sullivan was a highly productive junior player for the Mississauga IceDogs in the OHL, accumulating 345 points over 234 games during his four-year junior career. After his NHL career, he played his final professional hockey season in the Finnish SM-liiga with HIFK Helsinki in 2012-13, playing just eight games before retiring in 2013.

O’Sullivan is also known for publicly discussing the physical and mental abuse he experienced in his youth, which led to post-traumatic stress disorder. These experiences were detailed in his book, Breaking Away: A Harrowing True Story of Resilience, Courage and Triumph, which was published after his playing career concluded.

Source: sportsnet.ca