Andre Tourigny Named Coyotes HC as Rick Tocchet's Replacement

The Arizona Coyotes have officially named Andre Tourigny as their next head coach.

The team had announced in May that previous coach Rick Tocchet would not return after four seasons with the franchise.

General manager Bill Armstrong said in a statement:

"We are very pleased to name Andre as the new head coach of the Arizona Coyotes. Andre is a tremendous person and one of the best young coaches in the game today. He is a winner, a great teacher and a strong communicator who has a proven track record of developing young talent. We are confident that he is the right person to lead our team on the ice and we are thrilled to have him in our organization."

Tourigny will get his first opportunity as a head coach in the NHL after serving as an assistant with the Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators. He spent the past four years as the coach of the Ottawa 67's in the junior Ontario Hockey League.

The 47-year-old found a lot of success at the junior level, winning OHL Coach of the Year in each of the past two seasons while leading his team to the best record in the league both years.

Tourigny also led Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2020 world junior championships and was an assistant for Canada at the world championships last month.

The work with younger players could be valuable as the Coyotes potentially look at a rebuild heading into 2021-22.

Arizona missed the playoffs after totaling just 54 points in 56 games last year. The team has just one postseason appearance in the last nine seasons, with the lone exception coming during the 2020 restart amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Young contributors like Clayton Keller and Jakob Chychrun will hope to turn the franchise around under Tourigny's tutelage.