VANCOUVER, BC – Greg Puhalski will no longer be coaching the Laurier Golden Hawks Men’s Hockey team, several sources told 49 Sports on Friday.

The Thunder Bay, Ont. native has held the Director of Hockey Operations and Head Coaching position with the Golden Hawks since the 2010-11 season and failed to lead the Golden Hawks to any meaningful playoff success, never making it past the quarter-finals in his tenure. 

Sources involved in OUA hockey told 49 Sports that the change is to bring in a fresh coaching presence to the program with hopes of bringing more on-ice success to the Kitchener-based school. However, no coach has been named. 

Before the position with the Golden Hawks, Puhalski was a head coach with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers, and before that, with the UHL’s Fort Wayne Komets. As an athlete, Puhalski played four years with the Laurier program before moving to the NCAA with Ohio University and a professional career in the ECHL. 

In 2014, Puhalski signed a five year extension with the Laurier hockey program.

Laurier last qualified for the Queen’s Cup semifinals in 2009, when they fell to the McGill Redbirds. The program’s last University Cup appearance came in 2006. 

A new coach at Laurier continues a busy offseason for U SPORTS programs as the school joins the Brock Badgers, Moncton Aigles Bleus and MacEwan Griffins in naming new head coaches. 

The coaching change is being made relatively late in the offseason, as Puhalski is listed as the primary contact for Laurier’s open tryouts.

The Golden Hawks begin their 2022-23 OUA season on Oct. 23 when they face the Toronto Varsity Blues. 

(Photo Credit: U SPORTS)