A new mystery head coaching candidate has emerged for the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ vacant head coaching position.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Maple Leafs are in the final stages of their head-coaching search, and with that in mind, a mystery candidate has emerged late.

That would be Pat Ferschweiler, the head coach of the Western Michigan Broncos, and a former assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings.

Pat Ferschweiler Emerges in Maple Leafs’ Head Coaching Search

According to Friedman, the Maple Leafs are interviewing Ferschweiler as part of their final head coaching interviews, and he believes there could be more names that emerge in the next few days as the Maple Leafs close in on making their announcement for the team’s head coach.

“Here’s another: Pat Ferschweiler. He’s spent the past five seasons as head coach at NCAA Western Michigan, winning a National Championship in 2025. Prior to that, Ferschweiler, who is 56, spent one year as an assistant coach at AHL Grand Rapids and four with the Red Wings alongside Jeff Blashill. The Maple Leafs have done a pretty good job of keeping several contenders’ names out of the limelight – and I think there are some others to discover before the official announcement,” Friedman wrote.

We already know that the Maple Leafs have interviewed former San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski, and the team is also connected to former Edmonton Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft, former Anaheim Ducks head coach Dallas Eakins, and former New York Islanders and Colorado Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy. But seeing Ferschweiler’s name is interesting, as he doesn’t have any NHL head coaching experience, though, as Friedman said, he has had plenty of success in the college hockey ranks, plus he has been an assistant coach in the NHL before.

Maple Leafs Starting to Make Big Moves

On Tuesday, the Maple Leafs made their first big move under new general manager John Chayka as the team traded goalie Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers for goalie Samuel Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae, and the 85th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. That was the first big transaction that Chayka has made since taking over as the Maple Leafs’ general manager last month, but many more moves are sure to come.

With the 2026 NHL Entry Draft coming up on June 26, the Maple Leafs would surely love to have their new head coach on stage when they presumably select Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 overall pick. Whether that is Ferschweiler or someone else remains to be seen, but the Maple Leafs will have to have their next coach shaking McKenna’s hand when they take him with the top selection.

With free agency coming up in two weeks, Chayka and Maple Leafs senior advisor Mats Sundin have a lot of work to do in a short period of time. After trading Woll on Tuesday, the next order of business is hiring the team’s head coach, then it’s selecting McKenna, and then it’s free agency.