MacDougall named CHL Coach of the Year

Gardiner MacDouagll was named the CHL Coach of the Year on Friday.

MacDouagll, who led the Saint John Sea Dogs to the 2022 Memorial Cup title, guided the Moncton Wildcats to a QMJHL championship in his first year as head coach.

From the CHL:

Named in recognition of former Ottawa 67s head coach and the CHL’s all-time winningest coach Brian Kilrea, the Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award is presented annually to the Canadian Hockey League’s top coach. Gardiner MacDougall becomes the first head coach in Moncton Wildcats history to win the CHL Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award. In his debut QMJHL season, MacDougall led the Wildcats to a 53-9-2-0 record and a .844 points percentage – eighth-best all-time in the QMJHL and 10th-best in the CHL since 2000. Under his guidance, Moncton captured the Jean-Rougeau Trophy as QMJHL regular season champions for the first time since 2005–06. Their CHL-best defensive showing (2.25 goals-against average) ranked fifth in QMJHL history, while their 144 goals against tied for the 11th-fewest in CHL history. The Wildcats also led the CHL in goal differential (+150), regulation losses (9), and penalty kill (86.4%), while setting franchise records in wins (53), points (108), regulation losses, goals against, and points percentage.

According to the CHL, he joins Craig Hartsburg (1994-95) and Gerard Gallant (2009-10) as the only coaches to win the award in their first season. Gallant, who is a PEI native like MacDougall, won the award as head coach of the Sea Dogs. He also won the award the following season.

The long-time head coach of the UNB Reds, MacDougall won U Sports coach of the year honours three times with the latest coming in 2023-24.

It will be interesting to see what MacDougall and the Wildcats are like next season. In normal times they'd likely be heading for a rebuild, but the team has gotten some American commitments in recent weeks and announced the return of goaltender (and Yale commit) Rudy Guimond on Friday.

QMJHL players to win awards on Friday included Mathieu Cataford of the Rimouski Oceanic (CHL Scholastic Player of the Year) and Maxwell Jardine of the Charlottetown Islanders (CHL Humanitarian Player of the Year).

Medicine Hat Tigers forward Gavin McKenna was named CHL Player of the Year. It's still unclear where he'll play next season despite speculation that he is leaning towards a commitment to Penn State.