SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Barracuda (@SJBarracuda), proud American Hockey League (@TheAHL) affiliate of the San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks), are set to honor legendary former head coach Roy Sommer with a special pre-game ceremony that will feature a banner-raising this Sat., Jan. 10 at Tech CU Arena when the team takes on the Bakersfield Condors. 

Sommer, his family and several special guests, including Sharks and Barracuda executives and prominent San Jose Sharks alumni who were coached by Sommer, are expected to attend. The event will be hosted by hosted by Barracuda voice Nick Nollenberger (@NickNollen).

The ceremony will begin at Tech CU Arena at 5:15 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to avoid delays getting into the facility. General doors will open at 4:45 p.m. and the first 2,500 fans into the building will receive a replica Roy Sommer banner.

In addition, the Barracuda players will wear specialty San Jose Rhinos jerseys for the game against Bakersfield 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.

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

A native of Oakland, CA, Sommer began his career in the Sharks organization as an assistant coach under Al Sims and later, 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. The success of those players is a testament to both Sommer’s 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. 

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

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. 

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