Jean-François Houle left his role as head coach of the Laval Rocket to occupy the same position with the Clarkson University hockey team in the NCAA, the Montreal Canadiens announced Friday.
Houle signed a three-season contract with the Laval organization on May 29. His three-year association with the Rocket ends by mutual agreement.
Houle played four seasons with the Clarkson Golden Knights, from 1993 to 1997, before beginning his professional career. He was also an assistant coach for this NCAA ECAC conference team from 2003 to 2010.
“We would like to thank Jean-François for his contribution to the development of the culture of our organization and our players,” said Rocket general manager John Sedgwick. During his three years at the helm of the Rocket, his dedication and experience allowed the team to be very competitive, while adequately preparing many players to make the jump to the NHL.
“We wish him the best of luck in this next chapter of his career.” »
With Houle behind the bench, the Rocket maintained a 105-86-25 record. The 49-year-old head coach led his team to the Calder Cup semi-finals in 2021-22, as the Rocket made their first appearance in the American Hockey League (AHL) playoffs.
Previously, he led the Bakersfield Condors in the ECHL in 2014-15 before joining the team of the same name which entered the AHL as an assistant for the following six seasons.
Houle also held the position of head coach for five seasons with two QMJHL teams, namely the Lewiston MAINEiacs (2009-2010 and 2010-2011) and the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (2011-2012 in 2013-2014).
Assistant coach Martin Laperrière, goalie coach Marco Marciano and video coach Charles Juneau are the Rocket’s other instructors. They also agreed to multi-year contract extensions on May 29.