Three Potential Coaching Targets for the Canadiens AHL Affiliate

With Jean-Francois Houle accepting a position as Clarkson’s head coach, the Montreal Canadiens must now select a new head coach for their AHL club, the Laval Rocket.

The job Houle accepted is likely to pay more, and for many coaches, an NCAA assignment is more prestigious than working behind the bench in the AHL. However, it is undoubtedly unfortunate for the organization, given that they recently gave him a vote of confidence by signing him to a three-year contract extension three weeks ago, despite some relatively poor results during his time with the Rockets.

Such is life when you run an American Hockey League franchise. Laval Rocket general manager John Sedgwick sought to inject some stability into the mix by ensuring that the goalie and coaching problems were resolved long before the season began, but as is often the case, the recent turn of events was beyond his control.

BACK TO BACK WORLD JUNIORS GOLD FOR CANADA!

Dylan Guenther (#Yotes) finishes off the 2-on-1 to get 🇨🇦 Canada 🇨🇦 the overtime win over Czechia for gold.

Joshua Roy (#GoHabsGo) and Brandt Clarke (#GoKingsGo) the assists on the play

🎥: @TSN_Sports pic.twitter.com/Nn1qaj8271

— EP Rinkside (@EPRinkside) January 6, 2023

Potential Laval Rocket Coaching Options

Pascal Vincent

Pascal Vincent, the former bench boss of the Columbus Blue Jackets, immediately comes to mind as a prospective Rockets head coach. Vincent spent five years in the league as the Manitoba Moose’s coach, indicating that he understands the demands of the job. However, a cursory glance at his results as an AHL head coach from 2016-17 to 2020-21 reveals that they were far from exciting.

Manitoba did make the playoffs during his second season as head coach, and they won a playoff series, but they were eliminated from spring hockey in the second round. We also have to remember that he was coaching during the Covid seasons, thus playoffs were not an option in 2019-20. In 2020-21, a temporary Canadian division was created, and the Moose placed second, but there were no playoffs.

Simply said, it’s difficult to get a handle on his time in the AHL. The same can be said for his one-year tenure as head coach of the Blue Jackets. He was under intense pressure to perform while working with a group that was less talented than the majority of beer league lineups.

Stéphane Julien is a promising candidate for a head coaching position in the American Hockey League. The former Sherbrooke Phoenix coach was one of the primary reasons Habs prospect Joshua Roy began to take things seriously after a disappointing debut season in the league. Julien took a clear approach with the skilled forward, telling him that he had all it took to make it to the NHL but that he needed to quit relying solely on his talent if he wanted to play in the world’s finest league. Before anyone gets the wrong impression, Roy was also encouraged to exploit his God-given talent, implying that Julien recognized Roy’s potential to become a great player with a little more effort.

Julien recently joined the Grand Rapids Griffins as an assistant coach, so he has some professional experience, but we must remember that he spent ten years with the Sherbrooke franchise before joining the AHL. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially given he earned valuable experience during that period by coaching Canada’s Hlinka-Gretzky Cup roster, as well as working with Team Canada’s U-20 coaching staff.

In terms of accolades, he was voted QMJHL coach of the year twice, won a gold medal at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, and won a gold medal with Team Canada at the U-20 in 2022-23, the year in which Roy played a prominent role alongside phenom Connor Bedard.

Sylvain Favreau

The youngest name to arise is also the head coach of the Drummondville Voltigeurs, the current QMJHL champions. Sylvain Favreau also served as an assistant coach for Team Canada in this year’s Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, where they won gold. He also served as head coach of the Halifax Mooseheads for two seasons, guiding them to one of the finest regular season records in franchise history in 2022-23 (50-11-0-4). The Mooseheads finally lost the QMJHL final, 4-2, to the powerhouse Quebec Remparts squad, which went on to win the Memorial Cup.

He is from Orleans, Ontario, a French-Canadian hamlet inside the city of Ottawa that has established itself as a true hockey hotspot, producing both NHL players and high-level coaches. Favreau may not have as much high-level experience as the aforementioned coaching targets, but he has swiftly established himself as a rising star in the coaching environment, as well as a suitable fit for the Laval Rocket.