Sheldon Keefe is bringing in one of his own, and this time it’s A.J. MacLean.
MacLean, 42, is set to join the Devils’ bench for 2026-27 after a coaching path that has run closely alongside Keefe’s for more than a decade. He arrives with a background that stretches from junior hockey in Canada to the AHL and, most recently, the Syracuse Crunch.
Born on August 31, 1983, in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, MacLean is the son of former NHL head coach Paul MacLean. As a player, he stayed close to home for juniors, skating for Halifax in the QMJHL from 2000-01 through 2002-03. He went undrafted and spent six seasons moving through the UHL, ECHL, CHL and IHL before finishing his playing days in the United Kingdom’s EIHL.
His final stop as a player came with Dundee, where he served as captain and a player/assistant coach in 2011-12 and 2012-13. After that, the coaching side took over for good.
MacLean’s first step with Keefe came in 2013-14 with the Soo Greyhounds. Joe Cirella was also on that staff.
Two years later, he followed Keefe and Kyle Dubas to the Toronto Marlies, where he spent eight seasons on the bench. That run included three North Division championships and the Calder Cup in 2018.
When Keefe moved up to the Leafs, MacLean eventually landed with the Syracuse Crunch in 2023-24. Over his three seasons there, the Crunch qualified for the playoffs each year. As a Lightning affiliate, he also helped develop several players who went on to contribute in Tampa Bay, especially in 2025-26 when injuries hit the roster hard.
What MacLean’s exact role will be in New Jersey is still a little unclear, and the same goes for Ted Donato. One of them figures to handle more of the general bench work, while the other may lean more toward forwards and the power play.
MacLean’s track record points in that direction. According to his LinkedIn, he handled the power play as a Marlies assistant, and his work with the Crunch helped lift that unit from near the bottom of the league to fifth over three seasons.
With the Marlies, the power play was also consistently strong, finishing fourth and second in his final two seasons there.
However the duties get split up, the Devils are getting a more seasoned bench. And with MacLean joining the staff, Keefe is making it clear that for 2026-27, this is his setup.
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