Laval Rocket
AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, based in Laval, Quebec.
The Laval Rocket (Rocket de Laval) are a professional ice hockey team from Laval, Quebec. They serve as the American Hockey League affiliate for the Montreal Canadiens of the NHL and the Trois-Rivières Lions of the ECHL. Their home games are held at Place Bell.
In July 2016, AHL executives unanimously approved moving the St. John's IceCaps—the Canadiens' AHL affiliate—to Laval for the 2017–18 season. A fan contest to name the team narrowed the choices to Patriots, Rapids, and Rocket. On September 8, the winning name, Laval Rocket, was announced, chosen by 51% of voters as a tribute to Canadiens legend Maurice "Rocket" Richard. This made Laval the second hockey team in the Greater Montreal area to use the nickname, following the Montreal Rocket of the QMJHL (1999–2003). In June 2017, Larry Carriere was named general manager, and Sylvain Lefebvre remained head coach, a role he had held since 2012 with the franchise's previous iterations as the Hamilton Bulldogs and St. John's IceCaps.
The Rocket's inaugural season was poor, finishing last in the AHL with a 24–42–7–3 record. Lefebvre was fired and replaced by Joël Bouchard, previously head coach and general manager of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL. For the 2020–21 season, the team temporarily relocated to the Bell Centre in Montreal to share the arena with the Canadiens during the COVID-19 pandemic. That season, with opponents limited to Canadian teams, the Rocket won the Canadian Division and posted the second-best winning percentage in the AHL.
After Bouchard left at the end of his contract (83–67–24 record over three seasons) to become head coach of the San Diego Gulls, Jean-François Houle was hired as the third head coach. He departed in June 2024. Weeks later, on July 16, Laval native Pascal Vincent became the fourth head coach. His impact was immediate: the Rocket began the 2024–25 season with a franchise-record seven consecutive wins. They finished with their best season ever, winning the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as AHL regular season champions for the first time, along with their second divisional title.
The team's colors—blue, white, and red—mirror those of the Canadiens. The main logo is a large blue 'R' outlined in white, with the word 'Rocket' inside it in white. This logo remains blue on both home and away jerseys, while other patches and logos change color.
Quick Facts
- Text Color
- #000000
- Team
- Laval Rocket / Rocket de Laval
- City
- Laval, Quebec
- League
- American Hockey League
- Conference
- Eastern
- Division
- North
- Founded
- 1969
- Arena
- Place Bell
- Capacity
- 10,062
- Owner
- Molson family / (majority owner) · (Geoff Molson, chairman)
- Gm
- John Sedgwick
- Coach
- Daniel Jacob
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In July 2016, AHL executives unanimously approved the relocation of the St. John's IceCaps to Laval for the 2017–18 season. A name-the-team contest narrowed finalists to Patriots, Rapids, and Rocket; on September 8, Laval Rocket was announced, with 51% of fan votes, as a tribute to Maurice 'Rocket' Richard. Laval became the second hockey team in the Greater Montreal area to use that nickname, after the Montreal Rocket of the QMJHL (1999–2003). In June 2017, Larry Carriere was named general manager and Sylvain Lefebvre retained as head coach, a position he held since 2012 with the franchise's previous incarnations (Hamilton Bulldogs, St. John's IceCaps).
The inaugural season saw a dismal 24–42–7–3 record, last overall, leading to Lefebvre's dismissal. Joël Bouchard replaced him, coming from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. For the 2020–21 season, the Rocket temporarily relocated to the Bell Centre due to the COVID-19 pandemic, finishing as Canadian Division champions with the second-best winning percentage in the AHL, playing only Canada-based teams. Bouchard left after three seasons (83–67–24 record) to coach the San Diego Gulls. Jean-François Houle became the third head coach until his departure in June 2024. On July 16, 2024, Lavallois Pascal Vincent was named fourth head coach; his impact was immediate, with a franchise-record seven consecutive wins to start the 2024–25 season, culminating in the team's first Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy and second divisional title.
Reader's Guide
The Laval Rocket represent a key development tier for the Montreal Canadiens organization, having relocated from St. John's to bring the AHL affiliate closer to the parent club. The team's identity is deeply tied to Canadiens legend Maurice 'Rocket' Richard, reflected in the name, logo (a blue 'R' with 'Rocket' inside), and uniform details such as shield patches with 'Le Rocket' and stylized flames referencing Richard's number 9. The colors blue, white, and red mirror those of the Canadiens. The franchise's history includes significant coaching turnover, with four head coaches in its first eight seasons, and a notable temporary relocation to the Bell Centre during the pandemic. The 2024–25 season marked a historic peak, as the team won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy for the first time, setting a franchise record for consecutive wins to open the season. In January 2025, the team introduced a retro jersey concept paying homage to the Laval Chiefs of the LNAH and past major junior teams (National, Voisins, Titan). The Rocket's significance lies in its role as a direct feeder to the Canadiens and its emergence as a competitive force in the AHL.
Did You Know?
- The Laval Rocket were named after Maurice 'Rocket' Richard, receiving 51% of fan votes in a name-the-team contest.
- The team temporarily relocated to the Bell Centre for the 2020–21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Pascal Vincent, the fourth head coach, led the team to a franchise-record seven consecutive wins to start the 2024–25 season.
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