EDMUNDSTON, Nouveau-Brunswick – After leading the Edmundston Blizzard to its second Maritime Junior A Hockey League championship, head coach Simon Olivier has announced that he is stepping down to pursue new professional challenges.
In his third season at the helm of the Blizzard, Simon Olivier guided his team to the best regular season in its history (44-6-1-1) before winning 12 of 13 playoff games and capturing the Metalfab MHL Cup.
Under his stewardship, the Blizzard finished first in the Eastlink North Division each time, accumulating 77 points (38-13-0-1 in 2022-2023), 79 points (39-12-1-0 in 2023-2024) and 90 points (2024-2025). Combined, the Blizzard posted a record of 121-31-2-2 in those three seasons, for an exceptional efficiency rate of .788. What’s more, the Blizzard improved each year in the final Canadian rankings, finishing 19th in 2022-2023, 9th in 2023-2024 and 1st in 2024-2025.
At the end of the 2024-2025 regular season, he was named MHL Coach of the Year. He was also nominated for the same honor in the country by the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL).
“My contract with the Blizzard had come to an end and I decided to take on new challenges,” confided Simon Olivier. I want to thank the Blizzard fans, the people of Edmundston and the entire team organization, not to mention the volunteers, sponsors and partners who make this franchise such an incredible asset.”
“I loved my years in Edmundston,” he added. It was also a source of pride to be able to win a championship with the team’s players and staff. I’d also like to thank the members of the operations team and General Manager Steve MacPherson, as well as President André Lebel, with whom I’ve developed first-rate professional relationships and great respect that I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”
President André Lebel had nothing but good things to say about Simon Olivier, whose hiring by Blizzard was announced on July 4, 2022.
“In 2022, I said of Simon that he was at the top of our head coach list because he had achieved so much success everywhere, as a coach and administrator. He certainly met and exceeded all our expectations. He was a teacher of rare exception, demanding the best from his players,” said André Lebel.
Junior A hockey is a development sport,” noted the president. As much as we’re happy for the players who advance to higher levels, it’s sad to see the departure of a head coach of Simon Olivier’s calibre who, I’m convinced, will excel in his next professional role.”
Blizzard management will begin the process of assembling the next coaching staff. The team will also begin preparing for the upcoming season with the MHL draft to be held in Grand Falls (Saturday, June 14).
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Photo
Simon Olivier. Photo archives Percy Picard
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Source: Hugues Chiasson, Communications VP for the Edmundston Blizzard