(Greater Sudbury, ON) The Sudbury Wolves are pleased to announce that Rick Dorval will join the organization for the upcoming season as an Assistant Coach. Dorval will join Head Coach Craig Duncanson and newly announced Assistant Coach Gary Ricciardi behind the bench for the team’s 50th anniversary.
“We are really excited to bring Rick to Sudbury,” said Sudbury Wolves VP and General Manager, Rob Papineau. “He has been one of the most successful coaches in CCHL history and he always gets the most from his players. The CCHL is one of the top junior A leagues in the country and his consistent success there has been outstanding. He understands the game extremely well and has a great ability to teach and get the most from his players in all situations. Originally born in Sudbury, we are really happy to bring Rick home to join the Sudbury Wolves and the OHL.”
“I am thrilled to move back to my hometown of Sudbury to join the Wolves coaching staff,” said Rick. “I would like to thank Rob Papineau, Ken MacKenzie, and Craig Duncanson as well as owner Dario Zulich for giving me this opportunity to take the next step in my coaching career. I feel honoured to be part of this iconic franchise and this talented team. I look forward to working with these players. I feel that their future is bright, and I am very excited to be part of their journey.”
Rick was the Head Coach and General Manager of the Hawkesbury Hawks Jr A team of the Central Canada Hockey League for the past 8 years, taking a last place team to a league contender with an average .633 win percentage. He is the youngest coach in CCHL history to win 400 games and is a two-time CCHL Coach of the Year, including most recently this past season. At the age of 39, Rick has been a head coach for 13 years and has extensive coaching experience.
The Wolves will open training camp on August 29th and get set for their 2022-23 regular season at home on Friday, September 30th as they host the Barrie Colts. Single game tickets go on-sale for pre-season and regular season games in early September. Season memberships are on sale now at sudburywolves.com or by visiting the Sudbury Arena Box Office in-person.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING:
“It is great to see another quality Junior A Coach get an opportunity at a higher level. I believe Rick’s work ethic, knowledge and passion for coaching will serve the Wolves well.” – Sheldon Keefe, Head Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs
“I have witnessed first-hand Rick’s ability to both teach and develop players. His positive, winning approach and attention to detail will make him a great asset to the Wolves organization.” – Pierre Dorion, General Manager of the Ottawa Senators
“Rick is a great young coach who’s had tremendous success throughout his coaching career thus far. He’s a quality individual and is very respected in the hockey world.” – Jocelyn Thibault, Former NHL goaltender and Executive Director of Hockey Québec
“Rick has done a fantastic job in Hawkesbury preparing players for both the CHL and college while enjoying great team success. Developing while winning is very tough and Sudbury is extremely lucky to be adding a coach of this magnitude to their staff.” – Mark Bernard, President, Hockey Operations & General Manager, Rockford IceHogs (AHL)
