Daily Dose of the Dub: Tigers part ways with Head Coach and GM Clouston, appear set to bring back Willie Desjardins

Tigers part ways with Head Coach and GM Shaun Clouston

The Medicine Hat Tigers have announced that they have parted ways with Head Coach and General Manager Shaun Clouston who had been with the organization in some capacity since the 2003-04 season. Clouston started in the organization as an assistant coach before being named head coach in 2010-11 when then-head coach Willie Desjardins took a position with the NHL’s Dallas Stars as an assistant coach. Clouston took over as GM in the 2012-13 season.

Clouston leaves the Medicine Hat Tigers as the winningest coach in franchise record with a record of 375-241-46. He passed Desjardins’ 323 wins for the franchise lead on December 30, 2017, in the same number of games with the franchise. Clouston’s Tigers made the WHL playoffs in eight of his nine seasons as head coach, the lone miss coming in the 2015-16 season due to a tiebreaker loss to the Edmonton Oil Kings in Game 73. The Tigers made the Eastern Conference Final in 2011 and 2014 but did not advance to the WHL Final under Clouston’s reign.

Desjardins set to return to Tigers

The Tigers will be holding a press conference on Friday morning where they say they will “discuss future changes with the club.” It’s expected that they will announce the aforementioned Desjardins will be returning to the team as the Head Coach and General Manager. As mentioned Desjardins is second in wins among Tigers head coaches with a record of 323-176-60. Desjardins first run with the Tigers lasted from 2002-10 and the Tigers made the playoffs every season including two trips to the Memorial Cup in 2003-04 and 2006-07.  Since leaving the Tigers, Desjardins has spent time with the Dallas Stars, Texas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings and Hockey Canada, including being the head coach of the 2018 Olympic Team.

Wheat Kings coaching staff contracts expire today

The contracts of Brandon Wheat Kings head coach David Anning and assistant Don MacGillivray are set to expire today (May 31st). Anning has been with the organization since October 2012, first as an assistant coach before moving into the head coaching role for the 2016-17 season. Anning has posted a 102-87-23 in 212 games as the Wheat Kings head coach. MacGillivray has been with the Wheat Kings as an assistant coach for the last three seasons. Earlier this month the Wheat Kings parted ways with GM Grant Armstrong after three seasons with the club. They have not yet named his replacement but multiple reports suggest former Victoria Royals head coach Dave Lowry could be in line to take over both the GM and head coaching positions.

Broncos sign third-round pick Davies

The Swift Current Broncos have announced the signing of 2019 3rd round Bantam Draft pick Joshua Davies from the Edge School Bantam team. The Airdrie, Alberta native played 28 games this season and was just over a point-per-game player with 20 goals and nine assists.

Pats sign 9th-round pick Taylor

The Regina Pats have announced the signing of 2018 WHL Bantam Draft pick Marcus Taylor. Taylor was drafted in the 9th round of the Bantam Draft and will be eligible to compete for a spot on this year’s Pats team. Taylor is a six-foot defenseman and weighs 149 pounds from Coquitlam, BC. He played 35 games with the Burnaby Winter Club’s Elite 15s team and scored three goals and 17 assists from the blue line.

WHL alumni Beach signs in Slovakia 

Kyle Beach (251 GP, 134 G, 139 A with the Everett Silvertips, Lethbridge Hurricanes and Spokane Chiefs) has signed in Slovakia with DVTK Jegesmedvek for the 2019-20 season. He was a first-round pick of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks in 2008 NHL Entry Draft but did not suit up for the Blackhawks.

Thunderbirds alumni Fitzgerald retires to become head coach of EIHL team

Seattle Thunderbirds alumni Zack Fitzgerald has retired after a pro career that lasted 14 seasons. Fitzgerald played 248 games with the Thunderbirds and registered 22 goals and 54 assists. He was the WHL’s most penalized player in the 2004-05 season with 244 penalty minutes. He had most recently played in the 2018-19 season with the EIHL’s Glasgow Clan where he had four goals and 13 assists in 56 games. He will take over as the head coach of that same Clan team for the 2019-20 EIHL season.