The Montreal Canadiens’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate will play a critical role in the current franchise rebuild plans. The 2024-25 season sees many of the prospects graduating from overseas, the junior hockey ranks and collegiate leagues. In advance of this, Laval general manager (GM) John Sedgewick had worked to secure the return of head coach Jean-Francois Houle by signing him to a three-year contract.
Related: Canadiens Need to Make Room on the NHL Roster for Prospects
Montreal thought they had their man in place. However, in an unexpected move, Houle parted ways with the organization to become the head coach at his Alma mater, Clarkson University. Now, the Canadiens are at square one in finding someone to fill the most important coaching job in the organization at the moment. They will need to find the person who will mentor the next generation of Canadiens players. The question is, who is available at this late stage, and are any a good fit?
Laval Is the Key to the Canadiens’ Plans
Over the last few seasons, the Laval Rocket has had a young and inexperienced roster. Yet, they had two consecutive playoff appearances, including one where they battled their way to the Eastern Conference Final in 2021-22. Unfortunately, they failed to make the playoffs this season, finishing last in the North Division with a 33-31-8 record. This was mostly due to a rash of NHL and AHL injuries, several call-ups, and the roster upheaval those issues caused.
Beyond the standings and the playoffs, which are necessary – it is professional hockey after all – it isn’t the main focus in Laval. The goal is to develop NHL players for the Canadiens. On that front, Houle was doing some very good work. In his three seasons, he was able to prepare dozens of AHL players for their NHL call ups, but also, provide more than just emergency fill-ins. In 2022-23, Laval graduated former seventh-round pick, Rafael Harvey Pinard. Then in 2023-24, Houle prepared Joshua Roy and Jayden Struble. He also provided an opportunity for Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron to refine their games. With Barron, each time he returned from the AHL, he did so with confidence and a renewed focus.
For the 2024-25 season, it will be critical to hire the right person. This season will see prospects seen as future core pieces and essential depth players. For the core, David Reinbacher will have an important season, acclimating to North American style hockey, the demanding schedule, and his eventual role as an expected top-pairing defender. Then there is Logan Mailloux, who had a stellar rookie AHL season, sitting at or near the top of the offensive statistics for defencemen as well as earning an AHL All-Star nomination.
Possible Candidates
The coming season will see a big roster turnover due to the integration of several promising prospects such as Owen Beck, Filip Mesar, Adam Engstrom, Luke Tuck, and several others. The draft and rebuild plan is moving along and it is in the development stage now. With the offseason in full swing, Sedgewick has to get back to work to find the next Laval head coach. Some prerequisites limit the search, but that doesn’t mean there are no qualified persons capable of the task.
Pascal Vincent
The most obvious name may be Pascal Vincent. He was recently fired as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets. He has many years of experience as an assistant coach in the NHL and AHL, but also significant time as an AHL head coach, leading the Manitoba Moose, the Winnipeg Jets affiliate, for five years compiling a 155-139-31 record in 325 AHL games. That experience would help guide a young team toward a playoff position, which would help fast-track the development of some young players.
Stéphane Julien
The current Grand Rapids Griffins assistant coach, Stéphane Julien is another coach that could provide the Canadiens exactly what is needed at this level. He just completed one season in the AHL as an assistant, but before that, he spent 12 seasons with the Sherbrooke Phoenix of the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), eight of those as the head coach. He also spent time in the Team Canada pipeline, winning gold with the 2023 World Junior Championship (WJC) team in Halifax. Julien’s mentorship was an important factor for several NHL players and prospects, including Columbus’ Mathieu Olivier and Canadiens prospect, Joshua Roy.
Sylvain Favreau
Last but not least is Sylvain Favreau. He is a rising star in the QMJHL coaching circles, including Canada’s Program of Excellence where he won gold with the under-18 WJC club this past season. His time with the Halifax Mooseheads showed remarkable growth for him and the club, eventually guiding them to a QMJHL Final in 2022-23 where they lost to the eventual Memorial Cup champion Quebec Remparts. He then moved to the Drummondville Voltigeurs’ bench, and in his first season led them to a League Championship and Memorial Cup appearance. If there is any question as to his impact on a team, and the improvement of young players, one only has to look at the incredible turnaround in Drummondville in only one season, with a similar roster. But also, a look at the drop in performance by Halifax in the playoffs going from a Final appearance to being swept in the first round.
More coaches could be interviewed or added to the list, but these three have everything Laval would need. They all have experience developing prospects and know how to get the most out of a roster to help gain playoff experience for these young players. Regardless of who is selected, they will have a short time to acclimate to the club, develop a game plan and learn what the players need to help them reach their NHL potential.
