Canadiens Organization Chooses Continuity With Daniel Jacob Hire

The Laval Rocket had big shoes to fill after Pascal Vincent accepted an assistant coaching position with the Seattle Kraken. Vincent helped transform the Rocket into one of the American Hockey League’s best teams while continuing to establish Laval as one of the premier development organizations in hockey. Replacing him was never going to be an easy task.

Rather than looking outside the organization, the Montreal Canadiens chose to promote from within. On Monday, the Rocket announced that assistant coach Daniel Jacob would become the team’s new head coach, a move that perfectly reflects the philosophy Kent Hughes, Jeff Gorton and the entire Canadiens organization have embraced over the past few years.

The Right Man for the Job

Jacob is far from a new face within the Canadiens organization. His relationship with the Rocket dates back to 2018, when he joined Joel Bouchard’s coaching staff. That experience allowed him to become familiar with the organization’s expectations, coaching philosophy and, most importantly, its focus on player development.

When Bouchard left Laval, Jacob followed him to the San Diego Gulls before later joining the Syracuse Crunch. Those experiences only expanded his coaching résumé, allowing him to learn different systems and work with new groups of young players.

In 2024, Jacob returned to the Rocket as Pascal Vincent’s assistant, immediately becoming an important member of a coaching staff that guided Laval to one of the best seasons in franchise history. Now, following Vincent’s departure to the Kraken, the Canadiens once again turned to someone they know and trust. Instead of bringing in an outsider who would need time to adapt, they rewarded a coach who already understands the organization’s identity from top to bottom.

Choosing Continuity

Continuity has become one of the Canadiens’ biggest strengths over the past few years. From management to coaching staffs, Montreal has consistently preferred stability over constant change. That philosophy has played a major role in creating one of the NHL’s strongest development systems, and the Jacob hire continues that trend.

The Rocket enjoyed tremendous success under Vincent. Beyond the wins and playoff success, Laval became a place where prospects improved every season before earning NHL opportunities. Changing that formula simply wasn’t necessary.