Josh Dixon will take over from Jason Smith as associate coach when the local WHL team kicks off its regular season next month
After two seasons with the Cougars, Smith accepted a position with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers. Smith was captain of the Flyers during the 2007-08 NHL season.
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 Cougars Head Coach and GM Mark Lamb’s staff with the Swift Current Broncos during the 2014-15 season.
Dixon 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.
He 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.
