LAVAL | The Laval Rocket made their assessment on Sunday and we will see if it was the last for head coach Jean-François Houle.

• Also read: Rocket: A defeat at the end of the season

• Also read: The rocket was eliminated

“It’s not decided yet. “We’re going to take a step back and have a meeting with the organization in the coming weeks,” he explained, adding that he had to speak with the team’s general manager, John Sedgwick, during the day on Sunday.

“My wish is definitely to come back. I love the people I work with and I want to come back,” Houle stressed.

Popular

If we trust the players who paraded in front of the media during the review, Houle is popular and they want to develop for him.

“He’s there for the players, he’s easy to talk to, everyone loves him, you’ll never hear a player say they don’t like him. He’s a good coach for the Rockets,” said Tobie Paquette-Bisson.

Houle seems to be appreciated by the youngsters, and Logan Mailloux noted that he forgives mistakes. Veteran Brandon Gignac also praised his work in developing young talent.

“All the players have improved, there is no one who has stayed at the same level, that says a lot about him, he is excellent with young people and veterans, so we definitely want to see him back here.”

Slow start

It wasn’t Friday night when the Rocket lost to the Belleville Senators and were eliminated from the playoffs. Rather, it was earlier in the season when the team struggled to get off to a good start, experiencing losses including one that spanned nine games in November and December.

“In the AHL, when you have players from different leagues and different parts of the world, it takes time, there’s a learning curve and the only solution is to play games,” Houle explained.

“I told everyone it would be difficult before Christmas and that it would be better after, and that’s exactly what happened.”

The most unfortunate thing is that the young players did not taste the playoff experience, but the Rocket were involved in the race for the last playoff spot, which undoubtedly compensated a little.

More veterans

The Rockets started the season with seven rookies, which didn’t help their cause. Having a few more veterans would certainly have helped the team in its quest for the playoffs.

“It’s important for our fans to have successful seasons,” Houle admitted. You have to find the right veteran because in the American League you often have veterans who are still thinking about their careers and not necessarily young guys.

After Friday night’s elimination, Tobie Paquette-Bisson said having some veterans in the lineup could have made a difference, rather than the young players who played in a crucial game shortly after joining the team.

“I got a little bit of a rap on the knuckles, I’ll be careful what I say. It’s tough not to make the playoffs, we’ve been fighting all year, the guys are together, we need to bring in young guys, we prioritize development and it’s nothing against the young guys, they’ve done a good job. I was speaking more for the guys who didn’t play.”

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