Jean-Francois Houle has been in the headline news today as the announcement was made that he re-signs as Laval Rocket Head Coach. This is a welcoming sign for the organization that the club’s prospect development has been going well. Houle has coached the Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate for the past three seasons and will look forward to more positive years to come. The terms of the contract extension are just referred to as multi-year.
J.F. Houle Re-Signs As Head Coach of the AHL`s Laval Rocket
J.F. Houle has been successful thus far at his tenure as head coach. He’s put together a decent 105-86-25 record. Furthermore, the club’s best season under him saw them advance through to the Calder Cup playoff semi-finals in 2021-22. This past season he finished with a 33-31-8 record for Laval, but failed to qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs.
What Has He Meant to the Greater Montreal
Canadiens Organization
In his time with Laval, he hasn’t led as many of the current roster of Montreal Canadiens as you might expect. There could be a combination of factors causing that to happen. One reason is some of the Canadiens prospects are still too young, and haven’t transitioned to the North American pro ranks. Filip Mesar comes to your mind as an example. Another reason is probably due to the current Canadiens NHL roster’s lack of depth. Moreover, the organization needing players to develop in Montreal, rather than Laval. In contrast, players like Juraj Slafkovsky or Cole Caufield have done fine developing in the NHL rather than needing the AHL to develop in.
Players who have been under Houle`s guidance have done well to earn the coach the extension. There are some examples within the organization to speak on specifically. First of all is Sean Farrell. Farrell has done well in his career progression. In 2023-24 with the Laval Rocket he had 28 points in 47 games. Next, is Rafael Harvey-Pinard. Yes, he is more accustomed to be with the Canadiens nowadays, but scored 87 point in 109 games in his two seasons working under Houle. Finally, one exciting prospect, who was a big time scorer in junior, is Joshua Roy. In his last two seasons in the QMJHL with the Sherbrooke Phoenix he had an exceptional 1.80 PPG. In 2023-24 he played well enough in Laval with 32 points in 41 games to earn a promotion to Montreal. All three of Farrell, Harvey-Pinard, and Roy look to factor in middle-six roles possibly with Montreal within the next year or so.
A Look at J.F. Houle’s Coaching Career Span
For J.F. Houle, he has been involved in coaching for quite some time. He began his coaching career as an assistant way back in 2003 with Clarkson University of the NCAA. Furthermore, he has been involved in coaching ever since. Along with the NCAA, he’s been in junior, and a brief stop in the ECHL before moving to the AHL. He’s been either an assistant or head coach now in the AHL since 2015.
Main photo credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
