The Trois-Rivieres Lions announced that they’ve extended Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Ron Choules to a two-year extension that carries him through the 2026-27 season. Trois-Rivieres finished the year with a 45-19-8 record and won their first North Division title in franchise history. The Lions made easy work sweeping the Reading Royals in the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Choules finished second in Coach of the Year behind South Carolina’s Jared Nightingale.
Ron Choules, 61, has led the Lions to a 76-49-16 record in 141 games in his two seasons with the team. Trois-Rivieres has made the Kelly Cup Playoffs in three of its four years in the ECHL. The Montreal, Quebec native was brought on prior to the 2023-24 season as an assistant coach. He quickly became head coach after Pascal Rheaume took a job with the Bridgeport Islanders. Prior to joining the Lions, Choules spent 15 years in the QMJHL, including five years as the Head Coach of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and a year at the helm of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and Shawnigan Cataractes.
“This contract extension is a mark of trust from Alex Cousineau and the Lions’ management, and I am very grateful for it. I am very happy to continue the work we started here two years ago in Trois-Rivières,” said Ron Choules, Head Coach and General Manager of the Trois-Rivières Lions.
Trois-Rivieres Lions Head Coach Ron Choules on the contract extension (Via Trois-Rivieres Lions Press Release)
Trois-Rivieres has not wasted any time locking down its management for the future. The Choules extension comes just two weeks after they made Alex Cousineau the youngest President in ECHL history at 28. It’s hard to believe that just over a year ago, the fate of this franchise was in jeopardy.
ITR 35: Round One – Inside The Rink
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