The Moncton Wildcats came only inches away from completing a storybook season and it was thanks in no small part to the addition of one of the winningest coaches in amateur hockey history in former University of New Brunswick head coach Gardiner MacDougall.
Under his tutelage, the Wildcats set franchise records in wins (53) and points (108), while leading the league in goals for (294), penalty kill (86.4%) and a league low goals against (144).
As such, MacDougall has been awarded the Ron-Lapointe Trophy for coach of the year. With this win, MacDougall has become just the fourth coach to win the trophy in his first season coaching in junior hockey, following Richard Martel, Joel Bouchard and Gerard Gallant -- who had already head coached in the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets before the QMJHL.
The finalists for the award were Drummondville's Sylvain Favreau and 2015-16 coach of the year Gilles Bouchard (Sherbrooke).
Calgary Flames Prospect, NHL First Round Pick Gridin Wins QMJHL Rookie Of The Year
When it was announced that <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/calgary-flames/players">Calgary Flames</a> 2024 first round pick Matvei Gridin would skip the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/ncaa">NCAA</a> and instead join the QMJHL for his age 18 season with the Shawinigan Cataractes, there was strong belief that his impact would be immediate.
Never want to miss out on any QMJHL news? Make sure to book mark THN's QMJHL site.