OHL Notebook: 67's fill positions

The Ottawa 67’s ended the speculation on Tuesday.

The Ontario Hockey League club introduced James Boyd as its new general manager ands Andre Tourigny as its president of hockey operations and head coach.

Boyd had been rumoured to be the frontrunner for the general managers job since he parted ways with the Mississauga Steelheads in late-May.

Tourigny spent the 2016-17 season as head coach of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Halifax Mooseheads after signing a five-year contract with the team in May 2016.

The Mooseheads issued a release announcing Tourigny’s move on Tuesday and Halifax owner Bobby Smith said the 67’s approached the Mooseheads for permission to speak with Tourigny prior to speaking with the veteran coach.

Tourigny called the move “one of the most difficult decisions of my career.”

In a release, Ottawa governor Jeff Hunt called the hiring’s “a big decision for our hockey club and we scored big with James and Andre. There are 27 years of major junior coaching experience and 19 years of GM experience between them and both have been highly successful. We definitely got the right guys.”

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BATTALION ADD TO COACHING STAFF

The North Bay Battalion didn’t go far to add a new assistant coach.

The team announced on Tuesday that Scott Wray, who coached the Powassan Voodoos of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League in 2016-17, has joined the organization. Wray spent the past three seasons with Powassan, North Bay’s affiliate team.

Wray takes over the position left vacant by the departure of John Dean, who stepped down for family reasons.

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ABRAMS STEPS DOWN

Former Soo Greyhounds goaltender and coach Marty Abrams stepped down on Monday from his post as general manager and coach of the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Wellington Dukes, ending a 16-year relationship with the organization.

In a prepared statement, Abrams spoke of it being an emotional decision.

“This team represents where I crafted my coaching career and will always hold a very special place in my heart,” Abrams said.

Much speculation has been made that Abrams will join the OJHL’s Trenton Golden Hawks. On Tuesday afternoon, the Golden Hawks announced a special press conference set for Thursday morning.