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Moncton Wildcats

Wildcats Announce Gardiner MacDougall as Head Coach, Taylor MacDougall as General Manager and Director of Hockey Operations

May 15, 2024 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Moncton Wildcats News Release


The Moncton Wildcats put rumours to rest today and introduced Gardiner MacDougall as the team's new Head Coach and his son, Taylor MacDougall, as the team's new General Manager and Director of Hockey Operations.

"Today marks the beginning of a new era! I'm thrilled to announce that Gardiner and Taylor will be working together to lead the Moncton Wildcats. It's great to have them in place as we prepare to host the upcoming Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League draft in June," said Robert K. Irving, President of the Moncton Wildcats. "I want to personally welcome them to our organization. I know our fans will be excited by the dynamic, fast-paced, entertaining, and most importantly... winning style of hockey that Gardiner and Taylor bring to the game."

Gardiner was Head Coach of the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Reds men's hockey team for the past 24 seasons, where he led the nation's most successful university hockey program. He led UNB to nine U SPORTS national university championships and a perfect season in 2023-2024.

Earlier this month, he led Canada's National Men's Under-18 team to a gold medal at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championship. In January 2023, he led Team Canada to the World University Gold Medal in Lake Placid and previous to that had won the 2022 Memorial Cup. Prior to joining UNB, Gardiner coached junior hockey in Western Canada where he was named Coach of the Year four times and captured four provincial/league championships.

"Gardiner has extensive experience and a passion for motivating players to be their best and for the team to win," said Robert Irving. "He sees the game within a game. He makes changes on the fly, continually adapts to ensure the team is in the best position to win. Gardiner instills a belief in his players that they have what it takes to win."

"This is such an exciting time for the Moncton Wildcats, their players, and fans. With a lineup of very talented players, we believe in continuous improvement to help our group grow into a championship calibre team," said Gardiner. "We know and greatly admire the passion of Wildcat fans and truly want to build a team and program they will be proud to support. We really look forward to making a positive difference in the personal and hockey growth of each of our players and staff, ensuring we get the maximum effort and performance of our total team."

Taylor played as a centre in the QMJHL from 2006 to 2011 for the St. John's Fog Devils, the Montreal Juniors, and the Cape Breton Eagles. He then played five seasons at UNB where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and management as well as a Juris Doctor (J.D.) in law. He was most recently Director of Legal Affairs and Co-Lead Negotiator for Roy Sports Group.

"Taylor has a keen eye for identifying talented players," added Robert Irving. "Over the past 7 years, Taylor has worked closely with players and their parents as an NHLPA-certified player agent. Taylor will bring a fresh approach to hockey operations and a focus on building a winning team now and for the future."

"Having played in the QMJHL and been around hockey my entire life, it's a tremendous honour for my family and I to have an opportunity to come back to our home province and work for such a world-class organization," said Taylor.

"We're an organization that is focused on winning championships for our community. I can't think of a better fit than to have a father and son with a tradition of winning, working side-by-side towards our vision of winning league championships and a Memorial Cup!" added Robert Irving.

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