Posted at 6:00 a.m.
Jean-François Houle arrived in Laval with the objective of developing the next generation of Canadians. He did even better. He made it win. Now it could be his turn to take it to the next level.
When he hired Houle in July 2021, a little in disaster after the surprise departure of Joël Bouchard, Marc Bergevin praised his dedication, his passion and his rigor. Qualities that inspired the Rocket players, who reached the semi-finals in the most recent American League playoffs before losing in Game 7 of the Eastern Finals.
Prior to joining the Rocket, Houle served as an assistant coach with the Bakersfield Condors, a farm club for the Edmonton Oilers. He’s been on the bench for different teams in different leagues over the past 20 years, and while he’s flourished at Laval, he doesn’t hide the fact that he would listen carefully to proposals coming from National League teams. hockey.
“I would definitely think about it. One day I would like that, to be in the National League, Houle mentioned during the Rocket’s season review. I love my career in Laval so far, I’m very lucky. »
If I get a phone call, of course I’ll listen, but for now, being a head coach here in Laval is where I want to be.
Jean-François Houle, head coach of the Laval Rocket
If Houle has been the pilot of the ship throughout the season, he does not hesitate to give credit back to his troop. The quality of the players’ work since the start of the campaign has been colossal and they have been able to show a lot of character. The first months were stormy, but the boat ended up getting back on its feet.
Players, in addition to supporters and members of the organization, make Jean-François Houle a privileged person. He now thinks that the reputation of the team precedes it and that it will be interesting to take advantage of it when the time comes to convince independent players to settle on the North Shore. This mix of positives helps him greatly in his position as head coach.
A successful transition
A few months after his arrival in the organization of the Canadian, Jean-François Houle saw the people who had hired him during the summer being fired. The environment he was brought into changed dramatically. In November 2021, Marc Bergevin was fired and Jeff Gorton arrived. In January 2022, Kent Hughes was engaged. In February 2022, Dominique Ducharme was relieved of his duties and Martin St-Louis was called in for relief.
Lots of changes over Houle’s head that would ultimately have a huge impact on his work. Of course, his role is to lead the school club. However, it must still respect the philosophy and approach of the parent company. In retrospect, even if a change took place inside the organization, Houle was able to face the wave.
“I chatted with Kent [Hughes]Jeff [Gorton] and I met Martin St-Louis to find out how he wanted to play and to see what the plan was for the future in Laval. I look forward to working with new people and developing a plan for the seasons to come. It’s going to be a busy offseason for us,” the Rocket head coach said.
A winning culture
The Rocket may not have won top honors, but there’s still a lot of positives to take from this season, Houle said.
The team has had a surprising and formative run in the playoffs and he believes his players have learned a lot, even without the Calder Cup.
To win is also to develop. When you’re in a winning environment, it can help the players. Our young players were able to have an experience that is hard to buy. It’s not easy to get far in the playoffs. For them, it’s a very nice experience that they will remember for a long time.
Jean-François Houle, head coach of the Laval Rocket
For Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, Jesse Ylönen and Cayden Primeau, who are part of the future of the Habs, a formative experience like the one they have just had could be profitable in the long term. With the Canadiens or the Rocket.
Now the mission will be to be able to ride the wave of the playoffs until the start of the next season. “I’ve been saying this since the beginning of the year, in the American League, you have to have consistency to reach the playoffs,” Houle said.
The head coach will have to adjust over the next few months, because the face of the team could change, but he will still have the challenge of winning in order to develop better.