Isles to Honour Jim Hulton for 1,000 CHL Games
January 5, 2023 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Charlottetown Islanders News Release
The Charlottetown Islanders are extremely excited to celebrate head coach and general manager Jim Hulton as he coaches his 1000th career Canadian Hockey League game tonight when his Islanders suit up against the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.
"Jim Hulton has become a fixture of major junior hockey not just on PEI, but across the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League," said Islanders president of operations Craig Foster, who once played against Hulton as a player in the Ontario Hockey League. "His coaching career has taken him across the hockey world; we're extremely grateful that his longest tenure has been here in Charlottetown."
Jim Hulton's CHL coaching career began with the North Bay Centennials as an assistant during the 1997-1998 season. He first took the reigns as a head coach with the Mississauga IceDogs midway during the 1998-1999 season. That began an eight-year head coaching career across Ontario, including Belleville and his hometown of Kingston.
Over 500 games coaching the likes of future NHLer's Jason Spezza, Matt Stajan, and Anthony and Chris Stewart eventually drew eyes on Hulton from Hockey Canada; he was named a coach to Canada's Under-18 program before spending two seasons as an assistant coach with Canada's World Junior Championship team, which included a gold medal alongside what is considered the "Greatest World Junior team of all-time" featuring Sidney Crosby and Patrice Bergeron.
Following a short stint coaching the Royal Military College (USports), Hulton earned an opportunity in the NHL as an assistant coach with the Florida Panthers, where he served for another three seasons. He served on Peter DeBoer's bench and coached veteran talent such as Cory Stillman, Bryan McCabe, Tomas Vokoun, and Stephen Weiss.
Jim wouldn't find himself in the CHL again until being hired by the Islanders in 2015, after a pair of seasons as the coach and general manager of the USHL's Tri-City Storm. The rest, as they say, is history.
Hulton has yet to have a losing season as Islanders head coach, and has eclipsed 40 wins in a season 3 times. His 279 victories behind the Islanders bench leads the organization (dating back to the PEI Rocket) and is eighth all-time in wins by a coach with the same franchise. He's the back-to-back winner of the Ron Lapointe Trophy as QMJHL Coach of the Year, and was awarded the CHL's Coach of the Year last season. He was also awarded the Maurice Filion Trophy as General Manager of the Year in 2020-2021. He's synonymous with major junior hockey on Prince Edward Island and will undoubtedly go down in Islanders history books for the work he's done with the sport in Charlottetown.
The Islanders plan to honour Hulton before Friday's game when they host the Rimouski Oceanic at the Eastlink Centre. Tickets are available at the Eastlink Centre box office, by phone at 902-629-6625, or online at https://boxoffice.eastlinkcentrepei.com.
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from January 5, 2023
- Sea Dogs Top 10 Moments of 2022 Part 1 - Saint John Sea Dogs
- Moravec Goes for Gold - Halifax Mooseheads
- Isles to Honour Jim Hulton for 1,000 CHL Games - Charlottetown Islanders
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