When Jean-Francois Houle spoke to the media during his first press conference on Tuesday afternoon as head coach of the Laval Rocket, there wasn’t much talk about changes, in fact, the tone was more trying to build and continue the success that the Rocket had under Joël Bouchard.
Houle knows the ups and downs that could come with the American Hockey League. In six years with the Edmonton Oilers’ affiliate in Bakersfield as an assistant coach, he saw teams that missed the playoffs, and teams that won division titles. More importantly, he understands the importance of the AHL as a developmental league.