Clarkson University has turned to one of its own in hiring a new men's hockey head coach, in alumnus Jean-François Houle. He succeeds Casey Jones, who returned to Cornell after 13 years of helming the Golden Knights.
Houle, 49, has spent the last nine seasons coaching in the American Hockey league, six as an assistant with Bakersfield, and the last three as head coach of Laval where he led the Rocket to 105 regular-season wins and two Calder Cup playoff berths. Prior to his time in the AHL, he served one season as an ECHL head coach, and five years as a head coach in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
Houle started his coaching career at his alma mater in 2003-04, where he spent seven years. In that time helped the Golden Knights to an ECAC Hockey Whitelaw Cup playoff championship (2007), an ECAC Hockey Riley Cup regular-season championship (2008), and an NCAA Tournament berth in both of those campaigns.
A native of Charlesbourg, PQ, Houle was drafted 99th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 1993 after starring at the Northwood School in Lake Placid, N.Y. He then skated four years at left wing at Clarkson, tallying 49 goals and 81 assists for 130 points in 143 career contests, winning two Riley Cups and playing in three NCAA tournaments, while also earning ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team accolades as a freshman, and serving as team captain as a senior. He then turned pro, where he played five seasons between the ECHL and AHL, notching a total of 84-148—232 points in 288 regular-season outings overall before beginning his coaching career at Clarkson.
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