Ben Boudreau Following in the Footsteps of His Father, Becoming Head Coach of the Niagara IceDogs

Today, the Niagara IceDogs announced that current Head Coach Ryan Kuwabara has been relieved of his duties. Coming in to take his spot is Ben Boudreau, current Associate Coach and son of Bruce Boudreau.

In September, long-time NHL Head Coach Bruce Boudreau was hired by the Niagara IceDogs as a Senior Advisor. Before being hired in Niagara, Bruce was the Head Coach of the Vancouver Canucks. 

Boudreau spent sixteen seasons as an NHL Head Coach with Minnesota, Washington, Anaheim, and most recently, Vancouver. He brings a lot of valuable experience and a positive-cultured mindset to the IceDogs. He knows what it takes to win.

His son Ben Boudreau was hired by Niagara in July 2023 as an Associate Coach. Now just a couple of months into his role, he has been "promoted" to Head Coach. Ben Boudreau was formerly the Head Coach of the ECHL's Fort Wayne Komets, whom he lead to a championship in 2021. 

Ben brings his own experience to Niagara as he steps behind the bench. He will try to follow in the footsteps of his father, who found large amounts of success behind the bench at the professional level. 

The Niagara IceDogs have hit a lot of roadblocks on-and-off-the-ice over the last few seasons, and this father-and-son duo may be able to turn this ship around. The leaves have slowly begun to turn in Niagara, appearing better on the ice, even though it hasn't shown in the league standings. Bruce and Ben Boudreau bring an abundance of combined experience to this organization, and if they can apply the success they have both found at the professional level, the IceDogs are in phenomenal hands.

The IceDogs have made some key acquisitions over the past few months with Ryan Humphrey, Mathieu Paris, and Gavin Bryant. Skill has been proven on the ice, if the culture and chemistry off-the-ice can follow that momentum, the IceDogs should be able to find some more success in the win column.