Sam Cloutier named Lewiston's new head coach

Sam Cloutier is the new Lewiston High School boys hockey coach. He posed for a photo Friday at The Colisee, the Blue Devils' home rink in Lewiston. Darin Slover/Sun Journal

Sam Cloutier is excited to be returning to the Lewiston boys hockey program.

The 2011 Lewiston High School graduate, who currently serves as the school's physical education teacher and assistant athletic director, will become the Blue Devils' next head coach.

Cloutier replaces Jaime King, who resigned in April after leading Lewiston to a Class A state championship.

“As you know, I coached the men's lacrosse program last season,” Cloutier said, “but the hockey position became available and I've played for the program for a long time and been part of the tradition, so I was really excited to run for the position and fortunately, Jason Fuller offered me the job, so I'm really excited to come back to my hometown of Lewiston to coach the hockey program.”

Fuller, Lewiston University's athletic director, said Cloutier is the right person for the job.

“He's someone who understands high school sports and the values ​​that we try to instill in our kids on a regular basis,” Fuller said. “It's not just about winning and losing. It's about soft skills. I think Sam has a great understanding of what we're looking for in a head coach and what we want to do going forward. Sam is an alumnus and understands the value of the program and the importance of high school hockey. He's also someone who had a very positive experience at Lewiston. He wants to give back to create positive memories for the kids who play.”

Cloutier was named interim men's lacrosse coach this spring after previous coach Ben Fournier and an assistant coach resigned mid-season.

Cloutier said he will not coach the men's varsity lacrosse team in 2025 because it would be difficult to coach two varsity teams while also finding time to spend with his family.

Sam Cloutier is the new Lewiston High School boys hockey coach. Cloutier is here at the Colisee with his 1-year-old son. Darin Slover/Sun Journal

Cloutier hasn't had much experience coaching hockey, but he has experience working with the school's hockey program while serving as an assistant AD at South Portland High School.

“I've done a lot of different things, coaching and camps,” Cloutier said, “but I also did a little bit with South Portland. I've been on the bench a few times, but it's been a while since I've been involved with the program.”

For Fuller, his lack of hockey coaching experience isn't a concern.

“I think Sam is a player who has played at the high school level, the college level, the college sports world, the high school sports world,” Fuller said. “He knows how to build an unbelievable relationship with kids. Who cares if he's never coached hockey, never managed a game? If he has those qualities and he understands what the end result is and how to build relationships with kids, he's going to do well as a coach.”

During his sophomore year, Cloutier was on Coach Jamie Belleau's first team at Lewiston University, and Cloutier reached out to his former coach.

“I've talked to Jamie Belleau,” Cloutier said, “and he's excited about me. Jamie ran a really good program at Lewiston, so I'm looking to take a lot of the things he did and put them into practice and build on my own stuff that I've learned playing for other teams and other programs and things like that.”

Fuller said if anything goes wrong during the season, Cloutier has plenty of people he can turn to for advice.

Cloutier earned his master's degree from Springfield College in 2018 and then became assistant athletic director at South Portland High School before heading to Lewiston for the start of the 2022-23 school year.

Cloutier doesn't have much experience coaching ice hockey, but believes his lacrosse coaching experience will be helpful along with his hockey playing experience. Cloutier served as Lewiston's junior varsity coach starting with the 2023 season, then briefly coached the varsity team, as well as coaching at Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Massachusetts while at Springfield College.

“Like I said before, I was in the program,” Cloutier said, “that program gave me so much. I was a senior captain on that team. We came up just short of a state championship my senior year, but all of the friendships and experiences I had growing up in Lewiston hockey and watching it, it's always been in my heart. I grew up playing hockey. Hockey was everything I did. … So my path shifted to lacrosse for a little bit, but there was always a place for hockey in my heart and I always wanted to get back to it.”

Sam Cloutier is the new Lewiston High School boys hockey coach. He posed for a photo Friday at The Colisee, the Blue Devils' home rink in Lewiston. Darin Slover/Sun Journal

Thornton Academy defeated Lewiston, 4-3, in the 2011 Class A state championship game, with 2012 Travis Roy Award winner CJ Maxat scoring the winning goal in double-overtime.

Cloutier played a graduate season at Hebron Academy, finishing fourth on the Lumberjacks' team scoring list with 10 goals and nine assists in 27 games. After graduating from Hebron, he played four years of lacrosse at the University of New England and one season on the school's club hockey team. Following his graduation from New England, he earned his Master's in Education from Springfield College in 2018.

Cloutier, 31, has already started working with the hockey team on and off the ice this summer, though he hasn't met the entire team yet, with everyone having different summer obligations.

“We have a summer program going,” Cloutier said, “we have track sessions, we have on-ice sessions with the kids. The kids and I are very motivated. I've coached a lot of kids in lacrosse. I'm a school building teacher, so I already know most, if not all, of the kids. I already have a little bit of a relationship with them.”

Cloutier's goal is to continue where King left off.

“Obviously, a lot of these kids had a lot of success last year, winning a state championship,” Cloutier said, “so we're looking to continue that momentum this year. We lost some good upperclassmen, but I think we still have the talent to fill those holes and move forward and make a run at winning again this year.”

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