Vegas Golden Knights Announce Updates to Coaching Staff

VEGAS (July 12, 2023) -Vegas Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmonannounced today, July 12, that Dominique Ducharme and Joel Ward have been named assistant coaches for the club under Bruce Cassidy.

"We are extremely pleased with the additions of Dominique and Joel to our coaching staff here in Vegas," said Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon. "Dominique brings a wealth of coaching experience into our organization 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."

Ducharme, 50, joins the Golden Knights after most recently serving as head coach for the Montreal Canadiens during parts of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 NHL seasons. In 2021, Ducharme led Montreal to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1993 before falling short to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Joliette, QC native was originally brought on to Montreal's staff as an assistant coach prior to the 2018-19 season. Before his time in Montreal and the NHL, Ducharme was head coach of the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads (2011-16) and Drummondville Voltigeurs (2016-18). The Mooseheads won the 2013 Memorial Cup under Ducharme's leadership during his second season as head coach. At the international level, he was Canada's head coach for the 2017 and 2018 World Junior Championship, winning silver and gold, respectively. During his playing career, Ducharme spent four years at the University of Vermont, where he posted 149 points (54 G, 95 A). The forward also earned time playing professionally between the AHL, ECHL and QSPHL.

Ward, 42, remains with the organization after previously serving as an assistant coach with the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL since the team's first season in 2020-21. The Silver Knights reached postseason play during each of their first two seasons with Ward behind the bench. After going undrafted, the North York, ON native spent 11 seasons playing in the NHL with the Minnesota Wild (2006-07), Nashville Predators (2008-11), Washington Capitals (2011-15) and San Jose Sharks (2015-18). Internationally, the forward was selected to represent Canada at the 2014 IIHF World Championship, where he notched nine points (6 G, 3 A) in eight games. Before his time playing professionally, Ward spent four seasons at the University of Prince Edward Island where he earned his degree in sociology in 2006.

ABOUT THE VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
The Vegas Golden Knights are a National Hockey League franchise owned and operated by Black Knight Sports and Entertainment LLC. The Vegas Golden Knights were established by founding partners Bill Foley and his family and the Maloof family. The Golden Knights were the most successful expansion franchise in North American professional sports history in 2017-18 and won the Stanley Cup in 2022-23. For the latest news and information on the Golden Knights visit vegasgoldenknights.com and follow the team on Facebook,

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