Peter DeBoer was introduced as the San Jose Sharks coach on Thursday. (USATSI)
Peter DeBoer was introduced as the San Jose Sharks coach on Thursday. (USATSI)

The San Jose Sharks made it official on Thursday afternoon when they introduced Peter DeBoer as the eighth head coach in franchise history.

DeBoer comes to San Jose after spending the past three-and-a-half seasons behind the New Jersey Devils bench and will replace Todd McLellan who is now the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers.

"Peter is a well-respected leader who possesses all of the characteristics we were looking for in our next head coach," general manager Doug Wilson said in a team statement. "He's an extremely intelligent and innovative individual who likes to play an aggressive system. Peter has a track record of extracting the most out of his players and is willing to make tough decisions that are based on achieving team success. We're extremely excited to have him leading our group."

Wilson and DeBoer both met with the media on Thursday to discuss the job and what might be in the Sharks' future.

1. Peter DeBoer was a finalist for the Sharks job ... seven years ago

Coming off of a Memorial Cup Championship, DeBoer was one of three finalists for the Sharks' job seven years ago when it was eventually given to McLellan. Wilson, who called DeBoer one of the brightest minds in hockey, said the only thing that DeBoer did not have at that point was NHL experience.

When the job opened up this summer and DeBoer was available, he became a priority interview according to Wilson.

Wilson added that Larry Robinson's character reference had a lot to do with DeBoer being hired.

Robinson, who is currently the director of player development with the Sharks, coached alongside DeBoer in New Jersey when the team reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2012.

2. DeBoer plans to win right now and expects a bounceback season

The Sharks spent the 2014-15 season stuck in hockey purgatory, somewhere between trying to be a contender while also trying to rebuild. It turned out to be an extremely disappointing season, as is usually the case when teams are stuck somewhere between the two extremes.

They weren't good enough to make the playoffs and they weren't bad enough to get a prime opportunity to land a franchise changing player at the top of the draft. They were just kind of ... there.

When asked about makeup of the roster that currently has several big-money veterans and several players under the age of 25, DeBoer said that when you enter the Sharks organization there is always an expectation to win right now regardless of the ages of the players.

"There is a tradition here of winning and a challenge to go deep into the playoffs," said DeBoer. "That is my expectation and that is Doug's expectation as well."

DeBoer also said that he expects the 2015-16 season to be a bounceback year for the Sharks.

The team is coming off of its first non-playoff season since the 2002-03 season and just its second since 1997-98.

3. The Devils will not seek compensation for DeBoer

Even though the Devils fired DeBoer during the season, they were still able to seek draft pick compensation from the Sharks for hiring him if they wanted to.

They will reportedly not do this.

When the Devils hired former Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero Pittsburgh did not seek compensation from them. The Sharks will receive compensation from the Edmonton Oilers for their hiring of Todd McLellan.

4. DeBoer wants the Sharks to play "pressure hockey"

During his time time with the Devils the team was consistently one of the best in the NHL when it came to shot attempt differential, finishing in the top-11 in his three full seasons, including two years in the top-five. It didn't always lead to results in the win column, but it helped him gain a reputation for being a coach that could help his team have a territorial advantage of their opponents.

When asked about his reputation for being a "puck possession coach" on Thursday, DeBoer said that he believes the best defense in hockey is to have the puck.

"If you the puck the other team is not scoring," DeBoer said. "The best defense is to have the puck, preferably in the offensive zone. I believe in pressure hockey, the more pressurey ou can put on the other team in all three zones, the better off you are going to be and I think fans want to watch that type of hockey.

"It is a structured pressure for sure, and you have to be on the right side of the puck and you can not cheat the system, but we are going to start from day one implementing that structure and that type of system."

5. We are going to find out how good (or bad) of a coach DeBoer is in San Jose

DeBoer's track record in the NHL is what it is.

In six full seasons behind an NHL bench in Florida and New Jersey his teams have qualified for the playoffs one time.

But how much of that was on him, and how much of that was on rosters he had to work with? The one time he did have a really good, talented roster to work with he reached the Stanley Cup Final, and then that team was quickly gutted by free agency, the unexpected retirement of one of its best players, and was being held back by a legend (Martin Brodeur) that wasn't quite ready to give up the game or his starting spot even though it was clear he was a liability to the roster.  

Even though the Sharks are coming off of a disappointing season, there is still enough talent here that the playoffs should be well within reach. And with a roster that still has an impressive collection of impact players, including Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, he is going to have more offensive talent than he has probably ever had in the NHL.

Let's see what he does with it.