Sceptres hire Stanley Cup champion Pascal Rheaume as new head coach

A new face is ready to step behind the bench in The Six.

On Thursday, the Toronto Sceptres announced that the team has hired Pascal Rheaume as the second head coach in franchise history.

Rheaume takes over the position formerly held by Troy Ryan. The former Canada Women’s National Team head coach stepped down from his post with the Sceptres to take on being both the general manager and head coach of the expansion team in San Jose.

In a release, Sceptres general manager Gina Kingsbury noted what traits Rheaume brings to the team.

“Pascal brings a fresh perspective, a new voice, and valuable professional experience to our organization,” Kingsbury said. “Throughout our search process, it was important for us to find a coach who could build meaningful relationships, while also creating an environment that challenges players to grow and perform at their highest level.

“Pascal is known for his commitment to hard work and fostering a close-knit locker room. We believe Pascal’s leadership, experience, and approach to player development will have a tremendous impact on our group as we continue to build and strive towards new heights as a professional organization.”  

Rheaume, the brother of women’s hockey legend and PWHL Detroit general manager Manon Rheaume, comes to the league after years of coaching at the men’s professional level. He served on the staff of the New York Islanders’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders, for two seasons as an assistant coach. However, after a pair of relatively tough seasons, he and the entire coaching staff were fired after the 2024-25 season. Before that, he was the assistant coach for the ECHL’s Trois-Rivieres Lions, the Montreal Canadiens’ secondary affiliate.

The Quebec City native also spent a few years coaching in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. After two years with the Sherbrooke Phoenix, Rheaume was hired by current New York Sirens GM Pascal Daoust to be the head coach of the Val-d’Or Foreurs in 2018. However, he was fired in February of the 2019-20 season.

Rheaume had an extensive playing career. Across 17 seasons as a pro, he played a combined 363 games in the NHL, making stops with the New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Thrashers, New York Rangers and Phoenix Coyotes, winning a Stanley Cup with the Devils in 2003. He also played in 639 games, regular-season and playoffs, in the AHL.