Maple Leafs hire former Canucks executive Clancey as assistant general manager

TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired Derek Clancey as assistant general manager, player personnel, the NHL club announced Tuesday.

The 54-year-old spent last season as an assistant GM with the Vancouver Canucks.

He was a pro scout with the Calgary Flames in the 2021-22 season following 14 with Pittsburgh.

The Penguins won three Stanley Cups during Clancey’s time with the club. He was a pro scout for three seasons (2007-08 to 2009-10), director of pro scouting for nine seasons (2010-11 to 2018-19), and director of player personnel for two seasons (2019-20 to 2020-21).

“I feel Derek is one of the premier talent evaluators in our game,” Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said in a statement. “He is a three-time Stanley Cup champion and will play a big role as we continue our goal of building a championship team.”

Clancey, from St. John’s, N.L., is part of a rebuilt front office in Toronto that includes Treliving, who replaced former GM Kyle Dubas in the off-season, and special adviser to the GM Shane Doan.

As a player, Clancey played eight seasons in the ECHL with Winston-Salem, Erie, Toledo, Columbus and Chesapeake. He was elected to the ECHL’s Hall of Fame in 2020.

Jim Rutherford, the Canucks’ president of hockey operations, paid tribute to Clancey and his work in a statement.

“Derek has been with me since I started in Pittsburgh and is a terrific hockey guy. This is a situation that works well for both the Canucks and Maple Leafs,” Rutherford said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2023.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version had the incorrect job title for Shane Doan.