GUELPH, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons men's hockey program has added two assistant coaches to the team's coaching staff ahead of the 2023-24 season.
Dave Leger (associate coach) and
Scott Simmonds (assistant coach) have officially joined head coach Josh Dixon's staff for the Gryphons upcoming 2023-24 campaign, which gets underway in just over one month's time when the Gryphons head to North Bay to open up their regular season schedule during a September 23, 2023 matchup versus the Nipissing Lakers.
"We are very excited to add both Dave Leger and Scott Simmonds to the Gryphons men's hockey coaching staff for the 2023-24 season," says first-year head coach,
Josh Dixon, who was
named head coach of the U of G men's hockey program in June of 2023.
"Both individuals bring extensive experience in the Ontario Hockey League, at the U SPORTS level, as well as at the professional level. Their experience, both in coaching and in playing, will be a tremendous asset to our student-athletes."
Dave Leger takes on the title of associate coach with the Gryphons men's hockey team and arrives at the University of Guelph with a decorated coaching resume. "I am excited to be joining the men's hockey program at the University of Guelph and look forward to working alongside the players and staff while representing the Gryphons," says Leger, an Ottawa native whose most recent coaching job took place overseas in the Italian 1st League. "The level of hockey within the OUA has improved immensely since my last season at the University level and it is a privilege to be able to have an opportunity to join the Gryphon coaching staff."
Dave Leger Coaching Bio
2021 | Head Coach, Unterland Cavaliers (Italian 1st League)
2020 | Head Coach, Dunaujvaros Steel Bulls (Erste League)
2018-2020 | Head Coach, Kanata Lasers (CCHL)
2017-2018 | Head Coach, Team Poland (IIHF, U20 & U18)
2016-2017 | Head Coach, Elmira Jackals (ECHL)
2015-2016 | Assistant Coach, Evansville Icemen (ECHL)
2014-2015 | Head Coach, Cumberland Grads (CCHL)
2013-2014 | Assistant Coach, Nippon Paper Cranes (Asia League)
2012-2014 | Assistant Coach, Ottawa 67's (OHL)
2011-2012 | Assistant Coach, Tohoku Free Blades (Asia League)
2003-2011 | Head Coach, Ottawa Gee-Gees (OUA / U SPORTS)
2000-2003 | Assistant Coach, Ottawa Gee-Gees (OUA / U SPORTS)
1998-2000 | Assistant Coach, Hawkesbury Hawks (CCHL)
A name familiar to those around the Gryphons men's hockey program also returns to his alma mater, with former Gryphons team captain and OUA All-Star, Scott Simmonds, joining the U of G coaching staff as an assistant coach. Simmonds played five standout seasons with the Gryphons men's hockey team (2014-15 to 2018-19), wearing the 'C' as Captain of the Gryphons in each of his final three seasons at U of G.
The Uxbridge, Ontario native was twice named an OUA West First Team All-Star during his Gryphon career, and during his rookie season in 2014-15 earned the title of OUA champion and U SPORTS bronze medalist.
"Returning to the Gryphons men's hockey team, and charting a new pathway as an assistant coach among such an experienced group of coaches and staff, is an outstanding opportunity," says Simmonds, who played professionally in England for four seasons (2019-20 to 2022-23) with the Manchester Storm following his Gryphon career. "Josh (Dixon) and Dave (Leger) have a strong vision to lead the Gryphon program forward and I am eager to support those objectives. The University of Guelph was my home for five years, and my experience there helped develop me as a student-athlete, a leader and as a person. It will be exciting to help support our current Gryphon student-athletes to help them reach their potential both on and off the ice."
Simmonds was a two-sport athlete during his time at the University of Guelph (men's hockey and men's rugby), with the Uxbridge native also contributing to an OUA title on the rugby pitch for the Gryphons during the 2016 season.
The Gryphons men's hockey team will play in a total of five preseason games, beginning with an early September trip to the nation's capital for exhibition games at Carleton (Sept. 9) and Ottawa (Sept. 10). A 28-game regular season begins with the Gryphons September 23 trip to North Bay to face Nipissing, with the team's regular season home opener set for Thursday, October 12, 2023 when the Brock Badgers visit the Gryphon Centre Arena. The Gryphons men's hockey program have been crowned OUA champions on seven occasions, the
most recent coming during the 2019-20 season, with the program's lone national title coming during the 1996-97 season. The 2023-24 OUA men's hockey season will culminate on Saturday, March 9, 2024 with the playing of the Queen's Cup. The top three teams in the OUA will also earn a spot at nationals in Toronto, with
TMU set to host the 2024 University Cup (March 14-17, 2024 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre).
Related articles:
(gryphons.ca) June 29, 2023 – Josh Dixon to Lead Gryphons Men's Hockey Program
(Ottawa Sun) October 2020 – Coach Leger: Travelling the World, One Arena at a Time
