The Moncton U18 AAA Rallye Motors Nissan Flyers and the Moncton U16 AAA Thunderbirds are pleased to announce the following changes to the Thunderbirds Organization: 

Jeremy Leblanc has been hired as the new Head Coach.   Jeremy was most recently the Head Coach of the Harrison Trimble High School Trojans.  Previous to that he has was the Head Coach of the Bouctouche JC’s Senior Hockey Team, Cap-Pele Predators Jr B.  He has many years of experience of Head Instructor at Skills Camps in Waterloo, Massachusetts.  He has a passion for teaching and growing the passion for the game with his players.   Open to learning, he welcomes to the opportunity to work with and learn from the Moncton U18 AAA Rallye Motors Nissan Flyers Coaching Staff.

Denis Sheehan moves from Director of Hockey Operations to General Manager.   Responsible for the day-to-day operations of the franchise, including sponsorship opportunities, coordination of the training camp and season scheduling, budget and financial reporting, the current Chair of HNB EDZA EAST and Past-President of Lewisville Minor Hockey, his experience and knowledge will serve the franchise well.  

Supporting Jeremy and Denis in their positions, a new advisory board has been established to help support the franchise in all aspect as it related to on-ice and off-ice activities. The board members come with a wealth of hockey knowledge and experience that will provide many levels of support for the players, parents, and coaching staff.  Member of Advisor Committee are:  

Jean-Francois Damphousse - JF brings an impressive hockey background and had held many roles in the hockey industry. A former 1st round draft pick of the Moncton Wildcats in 1996 and a 1st round draft pick of the New Jersey Devils in 1997, he has played pro level in the NHL, AHL, ECHL after spending 3 years with the Wildcats.  After his playing career, he jumped to the Hockey Operations side of the game with the Dieppe Commandos of the MHL.  Over a 9-year span, he held held various roles including, General Manager, Head Coach and an extensive role in business operations. JF also spent 2 years as Director of Hockey Operations with the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus (AUS /U SPORTS). He is currently scout for the NHL Central Scouting.

Alexandre Vigneault  -Alex played for the Moncton Wildcats and Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the QMJHL before making the jump to the University level (AUS/USPORTS) with the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus. He graduated from the University of Moncton with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and a Master’s degree in Taxation from the Université de Sherbrooke. Alex has been involved with the Dieppe Memramcook minor hockey association for many years and has coached U13 AAA hockey the past few seasons.

Judes Vallee- Judes is current Head Coach of the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus (AUS/USPORTS) and will act as the technical director for the program. He will support and mentor our coaching staff to ensure all resources are in place to maximize the development of our players. He has previously coached in the QMJHL with the Sherbrooke Phoenix and the Victoriaville Tigres. He was also named coach of the year 4 times in the LHJAAAQ with the College Champlain Cougars. He has won four junior A championships, as well as a Midget AAA National Championship (Air Canada Cup) with the Cantonniers de Magog.

Other members of the committee are:

·       Allan Power – NHL Scout

·       Daniel LeBlanc – NHL Scout

·       Lynn Fisher - coordinator of hockey administration and team logistics

·       Vickie Fisher - coordinator of hockey administration and team logistics

·       Joey Parent - Assistant coach 2020-2021 U16 Thunderbirds