LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Two new faces will be joining the Vegas Golden Knights bench this season. On Wednesday, the team announced that Dominique Ducharme and Joel Ward have been named assistant coaches for the upcoming season.
Valley natives may recognize Ward who has been an assistant coach with the Henderson Silver Knights since the team's first season in 2020-2021. Prior to coaching, Ward played in the National Hockey League for 11 years with stops in Minnesota, Nashville, Washington, and San Jose.
Congrats, Coach! Thank you for all you’ve done for the HSK — wishing you even more success with big sib! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/cT5GtYTAuP
— Henderson Silver Knights (@HSKnights) July 12, 2023
Ducarhme most recently served as the head coach for the Montreal Canadiens during parts of the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 seasons. In 2021, he led Montreal to the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1993. However, the team lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Before the NHL, Ducharme was the head coach for the Halifax Mooseheads and led them to the 2013 Memorial Cup.
"We are extremely pleased with the additions of Dominique and Joel to our coaching staff here in Vegas," said VGK General Manager Kelly McCrimmon. "Dominique brings a wealth of coaching experience into our organizations and has proven to be a successful leader at multiple levels. Joel has excelled in Henderson during the first three years of his promising career as a coach and we're excited for him to be taking his next step with us."
The Vegas Golden Knights will start the 2023-2024 season at home and are scheduled to host the Seattle Kraken on Oct. 10.
