Jean-Guy Trudel Signs Two Year Extension
Published on July 14, 2025 under SPHL (SPHL)
Peoria Rivermen News Release
PEORIA, IL- The Peoria Rivermen, proud members of the SPHL, announced on Monday that they have signed Head Coach Jean-Guy Trudel to a two-year contract extension with an additional one-year option. Trudel has been Peoria's Head Coach and General Manager since 2013.
"It is exciting to sign Jean Guy to a long-term deal that will put him behind the bench for the next two seasons with a one-year option beyond that," said Rivermen President and COO Bart Rogers. "With our new long-term lease with the Peoria Civic Center secured now, we could lock Jean Guy up to a longer deal than the one-year agreements we did in the past."
Trudel, a native of Sudbury, Ontario, became the 19th head coach in Peoria Rivermen franchise history on May 25, 2013, and served as the team's first head coach in its Southern Professional Hockey League era. He also became the third former player to return as head coach and enters his twelfth year as a professional head coach for the 2025-26 season.
Over the past eleven seasons with the Rivermen, Trudel has amassed an overall 402-137-68 Regular Season record and a 33-23 postseason record. With his guidance, the Rivermen have been President's Cup champions in 2022 and 2024 while capturing six William B. Coffey trophies as the SPHL's regular season champion in 2014-15, 2015-16, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2022-23, and 2024-25. Peoria has clinched a playoff spot in every season Trudel has been behind the bench. The Rivermen have also reached the President's Cup Finals under Trudel's leadership in five postseasons (2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, and 2024).
Trudel clinched his fourth SPHL Coach of the Year honor this season after becoming the winningest coach in SPHL history. Trudel's 402 regular-season triumphs and 33 postseason victories make him the winningest head coach (regular season and playoffs) in the history of the SPHL. Trudel's four Coach of the Year awards are also the most of any coach in the SPHL.
"Jean Guy is everything you want in a General Manager and Head Coach who is committed to winning and putting an exciting product on the ice year in and year out for our great fans in Central Illinois," said Rogers. "What he accomplishes at this level with all of the adversity with call-ups and injuries he deals with is just incredible. His record speaks for itself and is something we all appreciate here in Peoria."
Trudel and the Rivermen will start the 2025-26 campaign this October. The full season schedule has yet to be released.
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