Coyotes announce new head coach André Tourigny

Last night news broke last night that the Arizona Coyotes search for a new head coach was over and André Tourigny had been named the new head coach. The Coyotes just made that official, announcing Tourigny will be serving as the franchise's eighth head coach.

Tourigny has had a storied career as a coach, especially with younger players. He started his career in the QMJHL, coaching the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies from 2002 through 2013. Under Tourigny, Rouyn-Noranda went 357-302-20-60 and won three division titles.

In 2013 he made his first jump to the NHL, serving as the defensive assistant coach for Patrick Roy and the Colorado Avalanche. In 2015 he left the organization and signed on with the Ottawa Senators, where he served as an assistant coach.

After being fired from the Senators, Tourigny returned to the QMJHL to coach the Halifax Mooseheads. The Mooseheads had a 27-35-6 record and lost in the first round to Tourigny’s old team, the Huskies.

Tourigny then made the jump to the OHL, serving as head coach and VP of hockey operations for the Ottawa 67’s. After a rough season where the 67’s went 30-29-9 and finished 4th in the East, the team finished first in the East with a franchise-high 106 points and made it to the J. Ross Roberston Cup. They were close to breaking that record last season if Covid-19 hadn’t canceled the final six games of the OHL season.

While coaching the 67’s to new heights, Tourigny also found success internationally. He coached the Canadian Under 18 team to gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2018, the Under 20 team to gold at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship, and the Under 20 team to silver at the 2021 World Juniors.

In addition to gold medals, Tourigny has won numerous coaching awards. He won the Matt Leyden Trophy for OHL Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2020 and the Brian Kilrea Award for CHL Coach of the Year in 2020.

If the Coyotes were looking for a coach who has found a lot of success with younger players, they indeed found him in Tourigny. He has had numerous achievements working with younger players and has made a name for himself on the international stage.

The Coyotes will likely have a few rookies, Barrett Hayton, Victor Söderstrom, and Jan Jeník, making the jump next season. They will hopefully benefit from a coach with experience with prospects. Arizona has to get better and developing players, and they may have found the perfect coach to help them do that.