Men's Hockey Head Coach - Jean-Francois Laforest

Jean Laforest

Jean-Francois Laforest enters his second season as the head men's hockey coach at UW-Eau Claire. Laforest also serves as an instructor in the UW-Eau Claire Department of Kinesiology.

Laforest's hockey background includes four years in minor pro hockey, two years of junior hockey and one year working with the Canadian National Team.

Most recently (June, 2000-October, 2001), Laforest was Director of Hockey Operations for the Port Huron (Michigan) Border Cats of the United Hockey League (UHL) after three years with the Shreveport (Louisiana) Mudbugs of the Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL) as both Director of Hockey Operations and Head Coach.

From September, 1996 through May, 1997 he was the recipient of a National Coaching Institute scholarship and worked with the Canadian National Team in Calgary. There he assisted Andy Murray, currently head coach of the NHL's Los Angeles Kings, and Mike Johnston, currently assistant coach of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks.

Laforest (b. 8/10/67) has a bachelor's degrees in both sociology and kinesiology from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and a bachelor's degree in education and a master of arts and sciences degree in coaching from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario.

During his tenure as an assistant coach, the Canadian National Team won the Bauer International Tournament and the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) World Championship. While at Shreveport, his team won back-to-back WPHL playoff championships and the regular season championship once. He also coached the Aylmer (Ontario) Aces of the Western Jr. "A" League to a division championship in 1994. While a graduate assistant coach at the University of Western Ontario, the team won the OUAA (Ontario University Athletic Association) championship and reached the CIAU (Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union) national finals in 1995.

During the 2001-02 academic year, Laforest taught both elementary and high school classes in Fort Gratiot, Michigan. He and his wife Jennie are the parents of three boys: Jesse (b. 4/9/92), Jadyn (b. 6/1/99) and Jaxson (b. 12/3/02).

Updated 6/27/03