POTSDAM, N.Y. (WWTI) – It's a homecoming for Clarkson University's new men's hockey coach.
News broke early Friday afternoon that Jean-Francois Uhl would be the next head coach for the Golden Knights. The 1997 graduate was previously the head coach of the Laval Rocket, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. Uhl will replace Casey Jones, who has accepted a position at Cornell University.
Fuhr had many ties to Potsdam as a player and coach for the Golden Knights. He was one of the most highly-anticipated rookies in the NCAA in 1993. He was selected in the NHL Draft (99th overall) by his hometown Canadiens in 1993 and made an immediate impact, recording 25 points in his rookie season, ranking sixth on the team that season. His senior year saw him co-captain Todd White as he led the team to an ECAC regular-season title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Regional Tournament.
His strong track record of developing talent at both the professional and collegiate levels, combined with his deep ties to our university as a former player and assistant coach, make him the ideal leader to lead our men’s hockey program to a national championship.
Clarkson University President Mark Christensen
After professional stints in the AHL and ECHL, Fuhr returned to Clarkson in 2003 as an assistant under head coach George Rolle. Fuhr quickly led the Knights back to competition in the ECAC, with the Knights advancing to the ECAC Championship Game in 2004, winning the ECAC Championship title in 2007 and the ECAC Regular Season title in 2008, with the team advancing to the NCAA Tournament both seasons.
He left Clarkson in 2009 to become head coach of the Lewiston Maine Axes of the QMJHL. After the team folded, he was quickly hired by the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL. He was named Coach of the Year in 2012 and was a finalist for the award in 2014.
