SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Barracuda (@SJBarracuda), proud American Hockey League (@TheAHL) affiliate of the San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks), announced today that the organization will honor legendary coach Roy Sommer with a banner-raising ceremony on Saturday, January 10, at Tech CU Arena when the team takes on the Bakersfield Condors. 

Sommer, the winningest head coach in American Hockey League (AHL) history, spent nearly his entire 24-year AHL coaching career developing Sharks prospects and shaping the identity of the franchise across four cities and multiple eras. 

The night will feature a pregame ceremony hosted by Barracuda voice Nick Nollenberger (@NickNollen), which will honor Roy and his family, and will feature notable Sharks executives, alumni and special guests. 

The Barracuda will wear specialty San Jose Rhinos jerseys to pay homage to the now defunct professional roller hockey team that Sommer led to a Roller Hockey International (RHI) championship in 1995, playing out of SAP Center at San Jose. The game-worn jerseys will be made available after the game via a live auction on the ice.  

A Bay Area native, Sommer began his career in the Sharks organization as an assistant coach under Darryl Sutter, before being named head coach of the American Hockey League’s Kentucky Thoroughblades on May 28, 1998. That appointment sparked a remarkable run leading San Jose’s AHL affiliates in Lexington (1998–2001), Cleveland (2001–06), Worcester (2006–15), and San Jose (2015–22). Over that span, more than 150 of Sommer’s players advanced to the National Hockey League, including 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. A testament to both his development-first approach and his lasting impact on the Sharks’ pipeline. 

Sommer rewrote the AHL record books during his tenure, surpassing multiple Hall of Famers along the way. His 828 career victories shattered Fred "Bun" Cook’s previous benchmark by nearly 200 wins, while his 1,814 games coached placed him nearly 600 ahead of Frank Mathers for the all-time lead. His teams captured four division titles, and in 2016–17 he earned Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the league’s outstanding coach after guiding the Barracuda to the Western Conference Finals. 

Following his time in San Jose, Sommer joined the Anaheim Ducks organization in 2022, serving as head coach of the San Diego Gulls, his final year in the AHL. 

Prior to embarking on his storied coaching career, Sommer enjoyed a decade-long professional playing career. Drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1977, he scored in his NHL debut with the Edmonton Oilers and won a Calder Cup championship with the Maine Mariners in 1984. 

In 2024, during AHL All-Star weekend in San Jose, he was inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame. 

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