The Anaheim Ducks and Norfolk Admirals announced today that Eric Veilleux has been named an assistant coach at Norfolk, Anaheim’s primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League.
Veilleux will work under new head coach Jarrod Skalde and alongside fellow assistant Marty Wilford.
Veilleux, 42, comes to Norfolk with almost nine full seasons of head coaching experience in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He began his coaching career during the 2005-06 season with Shawinigan. Under Veilleux, Shawinigan went 29-19-0-4 and advanced into the second round of the league playoffs.
The Quebec City native coached Shawinigan for six more seasons from 2006-07 to 2011-12, leading the Cataractes to the playoffs each season and reaching the QMJHL finals once. At the 2012 Memorial Cup, Shawinigan finished third in round-robin play before winning three games in a row, including a 2-1 overtime decision that clinched the first Memorial Cup in franchise history.
Veilleux moved on to Baie-Comeau in 2012 and took the club to the President’s Cup Finals two consecutive years and was recognized as both the QMJHL and CHL Coach of the Year in 2013-14. He earned a combined record of 91-45-10 as head coach of Baie-Comeau, and departs the QMJHL with a career win percentage of .580 over nine seasons.
As a player, Veilleux spent seven of his eight professional seasons in the AHL with the Cornwall Aces, Hershey Bears, Kentucky Thoroughblades and Lowell Lock Monsters, winning a Calder Cup with Hershey in 1997. He skated in 447 AHL games and recorded 106 goals and 174 assists for 280 points in the regular season, along with 19 goals and 28 assists for 47 points in 70 Calder Cup Playoff contests.
Veilleux and Skalde were teammates in Kentucky in 1998-99.
