Cougars name Josh Dixon as new Associate Coach

Dixon brings a wealth of experience with him to the Cougars, as he has coached over 20 years at various levels.

Most recently, the Oakville, Ontario product spent parts of three seasons (2017-19) as the Head Coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).

During his time with the Sea Dogs, he served as an Assistant Coach for the QMJHL All-Stars in the 2019 Canada-Russia Series.

Previously to his time behind the bench in Saint John, Dixon spent four seasons in the Western Hockey League as an Associate Coach and Assistant Coach. Dixon was an Assistant Coach for three seasons (2011-2014) with the Regina Pats and was an Associate Coach on Mark Lamb’s staff with the Swift Current Broncos during the 2014-15 season.

He has also worked in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence, as he’s twice served as an Assistant Coach at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and was the Head Coach for Team Saskatchewan at the 2015 Canada Winter Games.

Dixon has also served as an Assistant Coach for men’s and women’s hockey programs at Carleton University, University of Calgary, and Mount Royal University.

Dixon also spent two years (2015-17) as the Director of Player Development for Creative Artists Agency (CAA), one of the world’s top talent and sports agencies.

“It’s an honour to join the Prince George Cougars and have the opportunity to work with Mark again,” said Dixon.

“I look forward to working with a young, talented team that’s on the rise and helping them compete for a championship.”

Dixon holds a Master’s degree in Sports Psychology from the University of Calgary and a Master’s degree in High-Performance Coaching from the National Coaching Institute.

The Cougars are happy to welcome Josh, his wife Laura, and their son Jake to BC’s Northern Capital.

Jason Smith moves to the AHL after spending two seasons behind the Cougars’ bench.

Smith was hired in July 2019 and was instrumental in the development of the Cougars’ young defensive core.

He came to Prince George after spending parts of three seasons as the Head Coach of the Kelowna Rockets (2016-19).

Smith is very familiar with the Flyers organization, as he was the Philadelphia Captain during the 2007-08 season.

“We’re excited for Jason and his family. I really enjoyed working with him and he was great for our players,” said Lamb.

“We’re going to miss him, but we’re thrilled to move on another member of our organization to the professional level. This shows how much attention our team is getting.”

With files from the Prince George Cougars

by Ben Tompkins

Cougars name Josh Dixon as new Associate Coach

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