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The Arizona Coyotes have locked up head coach Andre Tourigny for three more seasons, general manager Bill Armstrong announced on Wednesday. The terms of the contract were not disclosed.
“We are very pleased to sign Andre to a three-year extension,” Armstrong stated in the official release. “He is an excellent coach, leader and communicator who has helped us establish a tremendous culture in our dressing room. Our players like him, respect him and compete hard for him. We are thrilled to have him signed as our head coach for the next three years.”
The 49-year-old Tourigny is entering his third season at the helm of the Coyotes; he's registered a 53-90-21 record in that time. Although there have been some dark times in the desert, the hope is that the team is only a few seasons away from competing for a playoff spot.
Arizona hasn't qualifed for the postseason since 2019-20.
“I'm very grateful to have the trust of Mr. Meruelo, Bill and Xavier. The structure put in place by our management has energized our team,” Tourigny explained in the release.
“I'm also very fortunate to have such a quality coaching staff to work with. It is a pleasure and a privilege to work with them every day. In addition, our high performance, development, medical and equipment staff do an excellent job of taking care of our players. That is the best environment that you can dream of having.”
Although the Coyotes missed the playoffs again last year, Tourigny helped orchestrate a 23-point improvement between 2021-22 and 2022-23. In the team's first year at Mullett Arena, he guided the team to an impressive 21-15-5 home record, which was a .268 home point percentage improvement from 2021-22, per the release.
“I feel very lucky to work with our group of players as well. The hard work and commitment to the team they have demonstrated the past two years has established the foundation of our culture,” Tourigny continued.
“It's an exciting time to be part of the Coyotes. My family and I love the Valley and we are thrilled to be committed long term in Arizona.”
Although it's been a challenging few years for the team, Andre Tourigny and the Arizona Coyotes have the potential to battle for a wild card spot in the Pacific Division next season.
