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WHL Prince George Cougars

Cougars Name Josh Dixon Associate Coach

August 6, 2021 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince George Cougars News Release


PRINCE GEORGE, BC- The Prince George Cougars are pleased to name Josh Dixon as the team's new Associate Coach.

Dixon takes over for Jason Smith who has accepted a position with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers.

"Josh has the criteria we were looking for in our search. He has head coaching experience and checks off a lot of boxes," said Cougars' General Manager & Head Coach Mark Lamb. "We have worked together in the past and I know he'll be a great fit for our organization."

Dixon brings a wealth of experience with him to the Cougars, as he has coached over 20 years at various levels. Most recently, the Oakville, Ontario product spent parts of three seasons (2017-19) as the Head Coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). During his time with the Sea Dogs, he served as an Assistant Coach for the QMJHL All-Stars in the 2019 Canada-Russia Series. Previously to his time behind the bench in Saint John, Dixon spent four seasons in the Western Hockey League as an Associate Coach and Assistant Coach. Dixon was an Assistant Coach for three seasons (2011-2014) with the Regina Pats and was an Associate Coach on Mark Lamb's staff with the Swift Current Broncos during the 2014-15 season.

He has also worked in Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence, as he's twice served as an Assistant Coach at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and was the Head Coach for Team Saskatchewan at the 2015 Canada Winter Games. Dixon has also served as an Assistant Coach for men's and women's hockey programs at Carleton University, University of Calgary, and Mount Royal University.

Dixon also spent two years (2015-17) as the Director of Player Development for Creative Artists Agency (CAA), one of the world's top talent and sports agencies.

"It's an honour to join the Prince George Cougars and have the opportunity to work with Mark again," said Dixon. "I look forward to working with a young, talented team that's on the rise and helping them compete for a championship."

Dixon holds a Master's degree in Sports Psychology from the University of Calgary and a Master's degree in High Performance Coaching from the National Coaching Institute.

The Cougars are happy to welcome Josh, his wife Laura, and their son Jake to BC's Northern Capital.

Jason Smith moves to the AHL after spending two seasons behind the Cougars' bench. Smith was hired in July 2019 and was instrumental in development of the Cougars' young defensive core. He came to Prince George after spending parts of three seasons as the Head Coach of the Kelowna Rockets (2016-19). Smith is very familiar with the Flyers organization, as he was the Philadelphia Captain during the 2007-08 season.

"We're excited for Jason and his family. I really enjoyed working with him and he was great for our players," said Lamb. "We're going to miss him, but we're thrilled to move on another member of organization to the professional level. This shows how much attention our team is getting."

About the Prince George Cougars The Prince George Cougars have been a proud member of the Western Hockey League since 1994. The Cougars play out of the CN Centre, a 5,971-seat multipurpose arena that opened in 1995.The Cougars are owned by EDGEPRo Sports & Entertainment Ltd. The ownership group bought the Cougars in 2014 and the group consists of former Cougars Dan Hamhuis and Eric Brewer and local businessmen Ernest Ouellet, John Pateman, Greg Pocock and Raymond Fortier.

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