Ducks hire Joel Bouchard as new coach of the AHL’s San Diego Gulls

Ducks general manager Bob Murray continued to revamp the organization’s coaching ranks Friday, when he named Joel Bouchard the coach of the AHL’s San Diego Gulls, replacing Kevin Dineen. Bouchard spent the past three seasons coaching the Montreal Canadiens’ top minor league club.

“We want to thank Kevin Dineen for all he contributed the last two seasons. He was key in maintaining a winning environment in San Diego, including a difficult season during the pandemic,” Murray said in a statement. “The opportunity to bring in Joel Bouchard as head coach of our American Hockey League club was something that we could not pass up. Joel has a strong track record coaching and developing players at the professional, junior and international level. This is the primary focus for us, and Joel fits the bill perfectly.”

Bouchard, 47, had an 83-67-24 record in three seasons with the Laval (Quebec) Rocket, including a 23-9-4 mark in 2020-21. Laval won the Canadian Division during the pandemic-shortened season. Montreal reached the Stanley Cup Final this past season for the first time since 1993, losing to Tampa Bay in five games.