Peter DeBoer is San Jose's new coach

SAN JOSE - The getting-to-know-you phase between Sharks players and Peter DeBoer begins immediately.

DeBoer will be introduced as San Jose’s next head coach at a 1 p.m. news conference today, and players who haven’t scattered elsewhere for the offseason have been invited to SAP Center for the occasion.

“The guys who are here are looking forward to having him in town and getting to know him,” forward Tommy Wingels said. “And I’m sure he’ll want to get to know the players that are here, that he’ll reach out to guys. That’s all part of the process.”

Any suspense on the identity of general manager Doug Wilson’s choice to succeed Todd McLellan ended Wednesday with ESPN the first to identify DeBoer, who, according to TSN, was given a four-year deal. His challenge, of course, is to put the pieces back together after a fractured season that saw the Sharks fail to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2003.

DeBoer, who guided the New Jersey Devils to the Stanley Cup final in 2012, has more than six years of NHL coaching experience. He was fired in December after the Devils got off to a 12-17-7 start but earlier this month served as an assistant to McLellan with Canada’s gold-winning team at the World Championships in the Czech Republic.

That last stop means DeBoer, 46, should be taking the San Jose job with his eyes wide open.

“I’m sure he had questions to ask of Todd during this whole process, having a relationship with him,” Wingels said of DeBoer. “From everything I’ve heard, he’s the right guy for this job. I know the players here - I haven’t talked to too many, but the guys I have been in contact with, we’re excited for him to be at the reins of this team.”

DeBoer was a candidate for the San Jose vacancy in 2008 after his junior hockey team, the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League, won the Memorial Cup that spring. Instead, the job went to McLellan, and DeBoer signed with the Florida Panthers. Working for multiple owners and general managers there, he failed to make the playoffs in three seasons before moving on to New Jersey in 2011.

That first season, the Devils reached the Stanley Cup finals before losing to the Los Angeles Kings in six games. New Jersey hasn’t been back to the playoffs since, but much of that was attributed to the departure of stars such as Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk.

Despite the fact DeBoer’s teams missed the playoffs in six of his seven NHL seasons, the initial response from players to his hiring as the franchise’s eighth head coach was favorable.

Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic gave DeBoer a thumbs-up on Twitter. When forward Logan Couture was asked about his new coach, he responded by text that “I’ve only heard really good things about him,” later identifying Devils forward Adam Henrique as his source. Couture and Henrique have the same agent, John Thornton.

One member of the Sharks front office who does know DeBoer well is Larry Robinson, San Jose’s current director of player development who was an assistant on DeBoer’s staff during the 2011-12 season.

“I enjoyed working with him,” Robinson said. “He’s a very detailed, smart hockey man. I think he’ll make a good choice.”

Robinson said he had not been informed yet that DeBoer was Wilson’s choice but had been following the online reports.

The Devils have had a reputation for decades as a defense-first team, but Robinson said it would be unfair to characterize DeBoer as part of the trap system that was used there long before his arrival.

“He definitely stresses good defense,” Robinson said. “but I think he allows players to be creative in the offensive zone. He doesn’t put restraints on players as far as their offensive abilities.”

DeBoer’s philosophy, Robinson added, does recognize that “if you don’t have the puck, you can’t play offense. And if you don’t play good defense, you’ll never get the puck back.”

Robinson pointed out that DeBoer has a law degree and no trouble communicating with players.

“He’s very, very detailed,” Robinson said. “There shouldn’t be any problems with guys not knowing what to do, because he explains himself very well.”

The Sharks and McLellan, who has since been hired by the Edmonton Oilers, parted ways by mutual agreement April 20. Before the hiring process began, Wilson noted that he interviewed 21 candidates in 2008 and planned to cast a wide net again.

Among those DeBoer reportedly beat out for the job were Dan Bylsma, Randy Carlyle, Adam Oates and Dave Lowry.