Former NHL player Pascal Rhéaume has been appointed as the head coach of the Toronto Sceptres, marking the second family member to join the PWHL this season. His sister, Manon Rhéaume, is currently serving as the general manager for the Detroit expansion team. Pascal Rhéaume takes over from Troy Ryan, who departed after three seasons with the Sceptres to assume coaching and GM responsibilities for the PWHL’s new San Jose team.
During his nine-year NHL career across six teams, Rhéaume secured a Stanley Cup victory with the New Jersey Devils in 2003. The 52-year-old from Quebec City has accumulated 14 years of coaching experience, including a recent two-year stint as an assistant with the New York Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, Conn. He previously served as head coach for Val-d’Or in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League for two seasons.
Gina Kingsbury, the GM of the Sceptres, praised Rhéaume’s appointment, emphasizing his fresh perspective, professional background, and approach to player development as valuable assets to the organization. The Toronto team finished fifth last season, missing the playoffs for the first time in their brief three-year history. The PWHL is currently in an expansion phase, adding four new markets and undergoing transitions within all existing franchises.
Toronto faced player departures in the off-season, losing key scorers Daryl Watts and Jesse Compher to Detroit. Rhéaume also boasts an AHL Calder Cup win in 1995 with Albany and concluded his NHL tenure with 39 goals and 91 points in 318 games, playing for various teams such as St. Louis, Atlanta, Chicago, New York Rangers, and Phoenix. He joins Ken Klee as the second former NHL player coaching in the PWHL, while Las Vegas is set to appoint Kim Weiss as their inaugural coach, leaving one coaching vacancy in Vancouver following Brian Idalski’s dismissal after one season.