RUMOR | Three Names to Watch Behind the Rocket’s Bench

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
RUMOR | Three Names to Watch Behind the Rocket’s Bench
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

With just a few weeks to go before training camp, the Laval Rocket is still looking for an assistant coach.

As a reminder, Daniel Jacob, who had been an assistant coach for two years, was promoted to head coach when Pascal Vincent left the club to take a job in Seattle.

Jacob therefore needs to be replaced so that his coaching staff—which also includes Ilya Ejov (goaltending coach) and Martin Laperrière—is complete.

But who will be chosen?

According to information from Marco Normandin, who posted a tweet on the subject, there are reportedly three finalists for the position: Alexandre Jacques, Daniel Renaud, and David Urquhart. Urquhart is said to be the current favorite.

Alexandre Jacques has been the Armada's head coach for the past year. He has experience coaching at the high school level and as an assistant coach in the QMJHL, but not in the pros.

Let's just say he's not too far from Laval geographically, since he works in Blainville-Boisbriand.

Daniel Renaud is the coach of the Cataractes. He has about fifteen years of experience coaching in the QMJHL, notably in Shawinigan and Val-d'Or. He has also worked in Quebec City, Rimouski, and Gatineau in the AAA league.

So he knows the Quebec league well.

David Urquhart, for his part, is an Ontarian who also holds Italian citizenship. He has experience in the pros (as an assistant coach in San Diego from 2018 to 2021… until Joël Bouchard arrived with his staff, including Daniel Jacob) and at the collegiate level.

For the past five years, he has led the hockey program at McGill, where he also studied.

Will the Rocket hire one of these three moving forward? We'll have to wait and see. But they're all logical candidates under the circumstances, in any case.

To be continued.


In a nutshell

– Well done.

– One to watch.

– Oh, really?

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