Sims, Sutter Among Finalists for San Jose Coaching Position

Mighty Duck assistant coach Al Sims has emerged as a strong contender for the San Jose Sharks coaching job and is one of two candidates scheduled for second interviews next week.

The other finalist is Brian Sutter, former coach of St. Louis and Boston. Roger Neilson, a veteran NHL head coach who is an associate coach in St. Louis, interviewed for the first time this week and could be brought back for a second interview as well.

“We’ll see what happens. It’s one step at a time,” said Sims, who had a preliminary interview with Sharks General Manager Dean Lombardi in Los Angeles this month.

Several prominent candidates were eliminated from consideration after the first round, including Dave King, the former Calgary coach, and Tom McVie, most recently a Boston assistant coach.

Sims, 43, finished second to Ron Wilson for the Duck job three years ago after coaching the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Komets to the International Hockey League championship. He was considered for openings with the Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo Sabres last year.

“I think Al’s as prepared as anybody for that kind of job,” the Ducks’ Wilson said. “He was prepared three years ago when he interviewed for the job here. What’s he got now is a knowledge of the NHL that he probably didn’t have then. He knows the league and he knows what to do with that type of team. He’s the perfect man for the job.”