Jean-François Houle leaves Laval Rocket to take NCAA job at Clarkson

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Alternative to turn into head coach on the college the place he performed for 4 seasons and has robust household roots was too good to cross up.

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Stu Cowan • Montreal Gazette

Printed Jun 21, 2024 • Final up to date 7 hours in the past • 3 minute learn

Laval Rocket head coach Jean-Francois Houle offers directions throughout Canadiens rookie camp final 12 months. Picture by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette

Jean-François Houle is headed again to Clarkson College.

In a shock announcement Friday, Laval Rocket basic supervisor John Sedgwick stated the AHL crew and its head coach had come to a mutual settlement as a way to enable Houle to turn into head coach at Clarkson. What made the announcement shocking is that Houle signed a three-year contract extension with the Rocket on Might 29. The Rocket additionally prolonged the contracts of assistant coach Martin Laperrière, goaltending coach Marco Marciano and video coach Charles Juneau.

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“We’re actually excited and we’re very grateful for the chance,” Houle stated throughout a video convention on Might 29. “There’s a sure tradition that we established within the final three years and we’re actually blissful to have some continuity in that. I feel it’s good for the younger gamers to have some continuity behind the bench. We had a younger group of younger gamers final 12 months and one other one coming on this 12 months with all of the draft picks that Montreal has. It’s a pleasant vote of confidence to have the ability to hold working with these younger gamers, so very excited.”

The provide from Clarkson was clearly too good for Houle to cross up and Sedgwick, the Rocket and the Canadiens must be counseled for not standing in his means. Houle performed 4 years at Clarkson and was later an assistant coach on the college for seven seasons.

In a information launch, Clarkson famous that Houle and his spouse, Mia, have been returning to Potsdam, N.Y. — the place Clarkson is situated — during the last 12 months since their son, Noah, is coming into his sophomore 12 months at SUNY Potsdam, the place he’s a member of the lacrosse crew. The Houles’ eldest daughter, Emma, just lately graduated from UC Santa Cruz and so they even have a 7-year-old daughter, Lucy.

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“I’m extraordinarily grateful for the chance to return and coach at my alma mater,” Houle stated within the Clarkson information launch. “I’m enthusiastic about the way forward for Clarkson hockey and desirous to proceed the wealthy historical past of this system. I’m wanting ahead to turning into a mentor and instilling the Clarkson College values to the following technology of student-athletes. My household and I’ve solid some deep friendships inside the group and we’re blissful to make Potsdam dwelling once more.”

Houle, 49, has spent the final 9 seasons teaching within the AHL, together with the final three as head coach of the Rocket. The AHL could be a powerful league for coaches, with the main focus extra on growth than profitable video games — particularly with the rebuilding Canadiens. There are additionally lengthy bus rides for street journeys through the 72-game common season.

The Rocket, with a really younger roster, did not make the playoffs this previous season, ending final within the North Division with a 33-31-8 document.

“We want to thank Jean-François for his contribution to the event of the tradition of our group and our gamers,” Sedgwick stated in a information launch. “Throughout his three years on the helm of the crew, his dedication and expertise allowed the Rocket to be extremely aggressive, whereas making ready many gamers to make the leap to the NHL. We want him the most effective of luck for this subsequent chapter of his profession.”

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The NCAA provides extra job safety than the AHL, together with a 35-game ECAC schedule for Clarkson, which completed with an 18-16-1 document this previous season.

Houle will substitute Casey Jones, who coached for 13 seasons at Clarkson. Jones left Clarkson final week to turn into affiliate head coach at Cornell, the place he performed for 4 seasons. Jones will substitute Mike Schafer as head coach when the latter retires after the 2024-25 season. Schafer will probably be coming into his thirtieth season at Cornell.

Houle turns into solely the twelfth head coach within the historical past of Clarkson hockey.

Candidates to interchange Houle in Laval may embody Pascal Vincent, who was fired this week as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Man Boucher, who was fired final week as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Each have head-coaching expertise within the AHL. Vincent was head coach of the Manitoba Moose for 5 seasons, whereas Boucher coached the Hamilton Bulldogs for one season once they have been the Canadiens’ high farm crew earlier than turning into head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

scowan@postmedia.com

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