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"He's Come A Long Way": Devils Head Coach Sheldon Keefe Shares His Thoughts On Sharks' Timothy Liljegren

max miller
·2 min read

New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe spoke about his time with Timothy Liljegren on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The newest San Jose Sharks defenseman played for the Maple Leafs from 2019 to 2024, and Keefe was his head coach for the entirety of his career. Liljegren played for Keefe during his time in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies. The Leafs selected Liljegren in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft.

San Jose acquired him from the Maple Leafs on Oct. 30 for Matt Benning and two draft picks.

Before the Sharks and Devils game on Nov. 9, THN asked Keefe about his former player.

"I worked with Liljegren when he came into pro hockey in North America. [I was with him] in the AHL, with the Marlies, and to me, he's came a long way," Keefe said. "[He] really started to develop himself as a defender. He came in as a high-end skill player that drove a lot of offenses. As a younger player, I think he really had to adapt and adjust, pick his spots offensively, but use his feet to defend."

Keefe also praised Liljegren's character. The now 25-year-old grew up before his old head coach in Toronto.

"Really good person. Good kid works [that] extremely hard, [and] wants to be good," Keefe said. "I'm sure he'll capitalize on the opportunity [with San Jose]."

Liljegren has been thrust into an excellent opportunity to be successful on the Sharks' top powerplay unit.

Make sure you bookmark THN's San Jose Sharks site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.

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