The Saint John Sea Dogs have appointed their 13th head coach.
During a press conference on Monday, the team announced Ontario-native Jim Hulton as their new coach.
Hulton has more than 30 years of coaching experience and has spent the past 11 seasons with the Charlottetown Islanders, compiling a 426-356 record.
He coached in the final four three times and in the QMJHL finals once in 2022.
Hulton is also a two-time QMJHL coach of the year and recipient of the CHL’s Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award in 2022, ranking 14th all-time in QMJHL history with over 380 regular-season wins.
On an international stage, Hulton has been part of Canada’s national junior team coaching staff at three IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships — 2004, 2005, and 2019 — and won a silver medal in 2004 and a gold medal in 2005.
Beyond junior hockey, Hulton also has NHL experience, serving as an assistant coach with the Florida Panthers from 2008 to 2010.
Sea Dogs president and general manager Trevor Georgie said they can’t believe they got Hulton in the position.
“Jim is simply a world-class coach, and we got to see that from the front row the last decade,” he said. “We never expected Jim to be available during the process.”
Georgie explained the team was considering 75 candidates, but for him, Hulton was always his first choice.
He added that they were looking for a coach with a track record of winning, who was familiar with younger players, knew how to get the most out of them, and could walk into a room and have “instant credibility” with the team.
Georgie said that after some conversations with Hulton, the team’s committee knew he was their pick.
“It didn’t take long,” he said. “We hung up the call, and we all kind of looked at each other, and just said, ‘yeah, that’s the next head coach of the Sea Dogs.’”
Hulton’s appointment follows the resignation of head coach Travis Crickard and assistant coach Mark Lee in late February.
After their resignation, the team named Brian Casey as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
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Hulton said in the press conference he looks forward to a “great future” with the team, and to bringing “a team on the ice that makes you proud.”
He added that he decided to join the Sea Dogs because after 11 seasons with his previous team, he was ready for a change.
Hulton said his goal for the Sea Dogs is to shape them as a team that others see as tough to play against.
“We want every team, every bus that pulls out of this parking lot, we want them to be thankful that the game is over and say that was a really tough night, no matter the result,” he added.
Joining Hulton on the bench is Guy Girouard as assistant coach, who also has extensive QMJHL experience, having spent the past 10 seasons with the Charlottetown Islanders as associate coach alongside Hulton.
Ultimately, Hulton’s main goal is to win the championship, which he believes is a very realistic possibility.
“When I see what’s being built here, depth, goal tending, defense, high-end young talent, those are all the requirements on a championship team, and those are here,” he said.
