Daniel Gagné, Hockey Operations Vice President, Ryan Salvis, Head Coach, and André Lebel, President, met this week to prepare for the upcoming Blizzard season.
EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – The Edmundston Blizzard’s front office is pleased to announce a three-year contract renewal of Head Coach Ryan Salvis.
Salvis, 34, led the Blizzard to a dream season in 2017-18. In its first season in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League, the Edmundston squad captured the EastLink division title, finished first overall in the standings and then lifted the league’s playoffs trophy.
Under Salvis’s leadership, the Blizzard posted a record of 36 wins, 10 defeats and 4 overtime losses, edging the Yarmouth Mariners by five points overall.
“We could not ask for more in this first season. Ryan (Salvis) was the mastermind behind this success. All players rallied to his teaching and game strategies. We are very happy to have a guy who knows the job so well with great leadership qualities, “said Blizzard President André Lebel.
“I’m extremely excited to have the opportunity to be Head Coach of a first class organization for the next three years, “said Ryan Salvis, who is proud of the work done by all the staff members who supported him.
“I can’t say enough about the job that our GM and scouts have done over the past few drafts. Personally I am very happy with the players we selected and the trades we made at the draft. This past season, not only did we have the best team on the ice, but we had the lowest average age for all the teams in the league and we also had an abundance of draft picks. These things don’t happen for no reason and with our scouts and GM doing the work they do the future will remain to be bright for years to come, “mentioned Salvis.
The team’s hockey staff will be pretty much the same for next season. Steve MacPherson remains the General Manager, while scouting continues to rely on Michel Gauvin and Daniel LeBlanc. An assistant coaching position remains vacant following the departure of Mathieu Martin.