Joe Thornton has officially rejoined the San Jose Sharks as player development coach/hockey operations advisor, general manager Mike Grier announced Friday. 

Thornton has skated with the Sharks in recent seasons, but was not a part of the team in an official capacity. His hiring comes just a month after he was named to the 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame class. 

Thornton, who last played with the Florida Panthers in 2021-22, finished his NHL career having skated in 1,714 games, notching 1,539 points, including 1,109 assists split between the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Maple Leafs and Panthers.

Drafted first overall by the Bruins in 1997, Thornton became a six-time All-Star, winning the Hart Memorial Trophy and Art Ross Trophy in 2006. 

Thornton’s name is all over the Sharks’ all-time record book, leading the team with 804 assists, a plus/minus mark of plus-161, and points per game at 0.96. He is also second all-time in team history with 1,055 points, third all-time with 1,104 games played, and fourth all-time with 251 goals.

Internationally, Thornton is well-decorated with Team Canada, winning gold at the world juniors (1997), World Cup of Hockey (2004, 2016) and Olympic gold in 2010.