Ross Yates Signs Extension

Ross Yates will be sticking around.

As had been reported, the Saint John Sea Dogs announced this afternoon that they have given Yates a two-year contract extension. He took over as Sea Dogs head coach on October 30, 2013 following the firing of Mike Kelly. As usual, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

"I am so pleased and thrilled to be able to continue working and building our young team into another championship-quality club," Yates said in a release.

The 54-year old joined the club as an assistant coach in 2012-13. Prior to that he worked with the American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch.

The Yates head coaching era got off to a rough start but the team has definitely improved since December. Saint John is 12-24-1-1 under the Montreal native this season. Although their record isn’t spectacular, anyone who watches this team will tell you that they really turned a corner in December.

"Signing Ross was a priority for us moving forward," said Sea Dogs President Wayne Long. “We want to put the pieces in place for the future. Ross has done a great job with this young team, and I think anyone that watches us can see that."

The extension will see Yates behind the bench through the 2015-16 season. The Sea Dogs named Darrell Young their new general manager yesterday, signing him to a three-year contract.