SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Benoit Groulx is the new head coach of the Syracuse Crunch, general manager Julien BriseBois announced on Tuesday.
Groulx replaces Rob Zettler, who was at the helm for the past three-and-a-half seasons.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will offer Zettler “another position” within the Lightning organization, the Crunch said in a news release.
The Crunch, which plays in the American Hockey League, is the minor-league affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League.
The Crunch recently completed its 22nd season with a record of 32-29-11-4, but no playoff appearance.
Groulx (pronounced “Grew”), 48, was head coach and general manager for the Gatineau Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) during the 2015-16 season, guiding his team to a record of 46-19-2-1.
The Olympiques were defeated in the 2016 QMJHL quarterfinal by the Moncton Wildcats — four games to two.
Groulx has worked 13 seasons as a head coach in the QMJHL with the Hull/Gatineau Olympiques, posting a career record of 460-293-18-59.
He led his teams to league championships in 2003, 2004 and 2008, earning QMJHL Coach of the Year honors for the 2003-04 season while coaching the Olympiques, according to the Crunch.
Groulx has a “long” track record as a winning head coach, BriseBois said in the release.
“Throughout his career, he has consistently gotten the most out of his players and his teams. We are very excited to be adding Benoit to our organization. Our players in Syracuse will benefit from his tremendous leadership and his relentless pursuit of excellence,” said BriseBois.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com