Habs name Pascal Vincent as Laval’s head coach

The Habs will have an experienced head coach in Laval next season as they announced on Tuesday that they’ve appointed Pascal Vincent as the new head coach in Laval.  He fills the vacancy created when Jean-Francois Houle resigned just weeks after signing a new contract to coach at Clarkson instead.

Vincent becomes the fourth head coach in Rocket history, joining Sylvain Lefebvre, Joel Bouchard, and Houle.

Laval GM John Sedgwick released the following statement:

The Montreal Canadiens organization is proud to welcome Pascal Vincent as the new head coach of the Laval Rocket. With nearly 30 years of coaching experience at the QMJHL, AHL and NHL levels, Pascal brings a wealth of knowledge, a passion for the game and a proven track record of both winning and player development. His strong values, collaborative mindset and tireless work ethic make him a great fit for our organization and the ideal person to work with our talented group of young players. We are thrilled to be able to add a coach of his caliber and excited for what lies ahead.

Speaking of that experience, he has considerable head coaching experience in the pros.  Vincent spent five years as an assistant in Winnipeg before dropping down to their AHL affiliate where he was the head coach in Manitoba before moving to Columbus for the 2021-22 campaign.

Vincent spent three years with the Blue Jackets, the first two as the associate coach.  That was originally supposed to be his role for last season under Mike Babcock but once Babcock resigned not long after being hired, the team opted to promote from within, giving Vincent the nod.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go well for Columbus last season.  The team limped to a 27-43-12 record, finishing eighth in the Metropolitan Division.  He was let go by the Blue Jackets last month following Don Waddell taking over as GM.

Vincent had to work with plenty of youngsters with the Blue Jackets last season which should help prepare him to work with a Laval team that’s slated to be one of the youngest teams in the AHL next season with several prospects set to turn pro.