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NHL NHL Regular Season Mark Giordano was undrafted, but went on to win the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenceman. Patrick Smith / Getty Images TORONTO — Toronto Marlies practice ended well over half an hour ago, but Mark Giordano is still on the ice. He skates slowly around the half-wall as Noah Chadwick and Luke Haymes, two up-and-comers in the Maple Leafs organization, stand with their eyes wide. The former Norris Trophy winner’s hands move as he illustrates his point: deception with the puck on the power play is vital. Defenders should not be able to decipher the plan with the puck — until it’s too late. Advertisement Less than two years ago, Giordano, now 42, was trying to make plays himself as a Maple Leafs defenceman. As Giordano speaks to both prospects, neither of whom have played an NHL game, he implores them to study video of Tampa Bay Lightning future Hall of Famer Nikita Kucherov. “You don’t know if (Kucherov) is passing or shooting, ” Giordano says. “There’s a lot of benefit to watching video and doing little things that players sometimes won’t even think to do unless they’re told. ” Giordano carved out an impressive NHL career by doing the little things remarkably well. In the next stage of his career — which began sooner than anticipated after he started this season as a Marlies coaching advisor — he is trying to help young Marlies learn the lessons he accumulated over a 20-year professional hockey career. “That’s where I can help them, ” he said, nodding on the bench after he’s finally left the ice. The Leafs have an aging defence and are going to need young players coming up through the ranks soon. The organization is asking Giordano to help build NHL-ready defenders. The experience Giordano gained from his lengthy and varied professional career has become a well of resources for the Marlies. And sharing that experience is Step One in Giordano’s hope to eventually become an NHL head coach. After playing his last game as a Maple Leaf in April 2024, Giordano knew he wanted to stay in the game. Scouting? Management? His heart kept coming back to coaching. He worked in hockey camps through his first full season of retirement in 2024-25. Leafs GM Brad Treliving, who grew close with Giordano through his time as Calgary Flames GM, spoke with him toward the end of Giordano’s time as a Leafs defenceman. Treliving recognized Giordano’s voice and experience. It’s rare to have players with over 1, 000 NHL games at your organization’s disposal. Treliving offered Giordano the chance to test the waters through Leafs development camp in July and at rookie camp in September 2025. Advertisement The plan this season was for Giordano to get comfortable watching the start of Marlies games from a coaches’ box above the ice before moving to the bench down the road. That plan didn’t last: Marlies head coach John Gruden soon wanted Giordano’s expertise closer at hand. When Steve Sullivan moved from being an assistant coach with the Marlies to the Maple Leafs, Giordano’s spot on the bench was solidified. He works primarily with defencemen. His title may be “coaching advisor, ” but Giordano took over Sullivan’s role as power play coach, too. Days begin at 5: 30 a. m. Giordano arrives at the Leafs practice facility around 6: 00 am, grabs a lengthy workout and begins cutting video for individual meetings with players. Cutting video is a skill he had to learn. “I’m always bothering our video coach, ” Giordano said. Life in a locker room is comfortable, though Giordano still has to remind himself he is no longer a player. “You forget that players have to eat first, ” Giordano said with a grin. “But this is the closest thing to playing. You feel part of it. ” Coaches’ meetings begin around 8: 30 a. m. before late-morning practices. Those practices are when Giordano shines. Giordano sees them as opportunities to impart wisdom from his experience. Asked for examples, he sits up eagerly. Maybe a Marlies defenceman has made a questionable read on a breakout. Maybe a different defenceman missed his assignment on the forecheck. Giordano has learned how easy it is for onlookers to make assumptions about a play from high above the ice. And so he speaks with thoughtfulness, sharing specific moments from his career. Giordano will explain how the smallest tweak — a change in foot positioning or a different route — could have changed things for the better. “There’s a way to teach certain things, ” Giordano said. “I know what guys are thinking. ” Advertisement Like many Marlies, Giordano was undrafted. He began his career by spending nearly two full seasons in the AHL. He understands the long bus rides and the feeling of the NHL being far away. And through his 18 NHL seasons, he logged heavy minutes in the playoffs and won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenceman in 2019. Having not been the most naturally gifted player himself offers an advantage when it comes to communicating with players. “I’ve been the minor league guy, ” Giordano said. “I’ve been the six-minute guy. I’ve been the 25-minute guy. That helps me see the perspective of everyone from a first liner to a bottom liner, the penalty kill and the power-play guy. ” Giordano’s ability to blend in examples from experiences playing with and against with the best players in the world means young players listen. Take putting your body in front of pucks, for example. Something of a specialty for Giordano, who sits third all-time in the league in blocked shots. One key, he tells his young defenders, is to begin scouting the opposition’s best shooters. “Does a guy shoot from the toe? Does he drag and shoot? Does he shoot from the heel? The really good shooters, they like hitting their same spot a lot. You can play the percentages, ” he said. Through the start of his coaching career, Giordano has tried to emulate elements from the coaches who resonated. As a junior player, Mike Stothers taught him the world of strong defensive positioning. Darryl Sutter’s hard-nosed attitude and incredible knowledge of systems kept him engaged. And Glen Gulutzan was the most approachable coach Giordano ever had, he said. But the one constant: the best coaches were honest in the hopes of improvement. “Systems become easier to teach if (players) respect you, ” Giordano said.  “They have to believe in what you’re teaching. You never want to demean a player, act like you’re better than them and talk down to them. And I never will. ” Advertisement The Leafs will need different types of defenders coming through the pipeline. Giordano sees possibility in Marlies defencemen William Villeneuve and Marshall Rifai. But it’s Chadwick, a rangy and cerebral 2023 draft pick in his first AHL season, who seems to excite Giordano most at the moment. Giordano first took notice of Chadwick in 2025 development camp. He had questions about the prospect’s foot speed and whether his shot would be powerful enough at the pro level. Chadwick has answered Giordano’s questions this season by learning quickly. “For a young guy, from Day One of camp to now, (Chadwick) has been our most improved player by a mile, ” Giordano said. “He has incredible hockey IQ. If you watch him in his D-zone, his game is the quietest out of our group, which is a compliment. He doesn’t run out of position, you don’t see him going for the big hit or the big play all the time, he’s just really calm. ” Giordano was on the bench earlier this season when Chadwick threw a bad pass into the middle of the ice midway through the third period. The puck ended up in the Marlies’ net. Giordano stayed quiet when Chadwick returned to the bench. Part of learning to be an effective coach is learning when not to speak. He had instructed Chadwick previously. He had to let his young player learn for himself. “Most guys with 10 minutes left in the game would crumble, ” Giordano said. “They’d just play real safe and their shifts would get shorter. And (Chadwick) went out there next shift made a play up the middle. It was same play, but he made it and then made three or four really high-end plays under pressure. That says a lot. ” Players say Giordano’s experience is making a difference. “(Giordano’s voice) carries more weight, because he started in the AHL and then had an extensive career, ” Chadwick said. “He knows what it’s like to play in both leagues. ” Chadwick finds himself eagerly asking Giordano questions because of his coach’s disposition. Advertisement “When a coach is honest with you, there is an element of trust built, ” Chadwick said. “If I’m not getting a straight answer, I’m not going to come with questions either. It’s easy to ask him questions because I know what I’m going to get: an honest and helpful answer, whether it’s positive or negative. ” “You can’t blow smoke, ” Giordano said. “You have to have honest, hard conversations. ” It’s early in Giordano’s coaching career, but he’s not shy about his ambitions. He worked his way from the ground up to become a No. 1 NHL defenceman. Giordano is ready to do the same with a long-term goal of becoming an NHL head coach. “You always have high expectations for yourself, ” Giordano said, recognizing how far he has to go. “At the end of the day, you also want that control. ” Until then, Giordano understands what comes next. He gets up from the bench and jogs into a small office. There is another game approaching. More video to cut, more conversations to have and many more young players to help. “I was like this as a player, ” Giordano said. “You respect guys who tell you the truth instead of what you just want to hear. ” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Joshua Kloke is a staff writer who has covered the Maple Leafs and Canadian soccer for The Athletic since 2016. Previously, he was a freelance writer for various publications, including Sports Illustrated. Follow Joshua on Twitter @joshuakloke