KEVIN ST. JACQUES BECOMES NEW BENCH BOSS FOR 2025-26 SEASON
Corpus Christi TX – The Corpus Christi IceRays of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) announce today that they have hired Kevin St. Jacques to be the organizations new Head Coach for the 2025-26 season. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
St. Jacques, a native of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, will take over for Sylvain Cloutier, who resigned in May, as well as acting Interim Head Coach Phil Oberlin.
St. Jacques was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks after playing four (4) years of juniors in the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he led the league in scoring. With a long history as a player, St. Jacques played sixteen (16) years of professional hockey in several leagues including the Western Hockey League (WHL), International Hockey League (IHL), United Hockey League (UHL), ECHL, British Hockey League (BHL), West Coast Hockey League (WCHL) and Central Hockey League (CHL).
As a coach, St. Jacques has eleven (11) years of coaching hockey at the junior and professional levels. Most recently Kevin was the Head Coach for the Mercer Chiefs USPHL Premier team and Assistant Coach to the Mercer Chiefs NCDC teams during the 2024-25 season.
Managing Partner and team Chief Operating Officer George Manias said, “We are thrilled to announce Coach St. Jacques as the organizations next leader on the ice for the organization. With the short turnaround time we had to make this hire, we had a tremendous amount of interest from the coaching community for this job and interviewed several very qualified candidates. At the end of the day, Kevin stood out as our guy based on his winning mentality and history and also how important developing players is to him. He has a track record of doing both very well, so we felt very comfortable that he could hit the ground running with us and he became the obvious choice. ”
St. Jacques added, “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to coach in Corpus Christi with the IceRays. I’m ready to get to work, help our guys grow on and off the ice, and be part of something special that George and Steve are building here. Thank you to everyone who’s supported me on this journey, specifically Rod Broderick and the Mercer Chiefs. I learned a lot during my time with that organization. My family and I are excited for this next chapter and the new experiences it will bring.”
The IceRays are planning a press conference at the American Bank Center on June 17th at 2pm to introduce new Managing Partner & CEO Steve Donner, new Managing Partner & COO George Manias and address the hiring of newly named Head Coach, Kevin St. Jacques amongst several other topics.
About Corpus Christi IceRays: The Corpus Christi IceRays, a member of the North American Hockey League playing out of the American Bank Center in downtown Corpus Christi, TX. For more information or for all your ticketing needs, contact the IceRays Front Office at (361)-814-PUCK or visit www.GoIceRays.com . You can also follow the team through their social media platforms: Facebook @goicerays, Instagram @iceraysnahl, and Twitter @iceraysnahl
About North American Hockey League: Celebrating its 50th season in 2024-25, the NAHL, the only USA Hockey sanctioned Tier II Junior league boasting 35 teams in 20 states from North American. For more information, visit the NAHL website at https://nahl.com/
About American Bank Center: American Bank Center is an entertainment complex owned by the city of Corpus Christi and managed by Oak View Group with OVG Hospitality. The complex is in downtown Corpus Christi, Texas and consists of an arena, auditorium, and convention center. The facility hosts numerous conventions, trade shows, exhibitions, live performances, and sporting events. Located directly on the beautiful Corpus Christi Bay downtown, American Bank Center is flexible for any group offering complimentary Wi-Fi and premium food and beverage options.
About Oak View Group (OVG)
Oak View Group (OVG) is the global leader in live experience venue development, management, premium hospitality services, and 360-degree solutions for a collection of world-class owned venues and a client roster of arenas, convention centers, music festivals, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions. Founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015, OVG is the leading developer of major new venues either open or under development across four continents. Visit OakViewGroup.com, and follow OVG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.
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