PWHL Ottawa adds Dean Jackson, Greg Houde to coaching staff
A few new faces will be helping Carla MacLeod out this season.
On Wednesday, PWHL Ottawa announced that it has hired Dean Jackson as the team’s new assistant coach. The team also hired Greg Houde as its new video coach, bringing in Kristine Walker as a strength coach.
We've got a trio of new faces joining us in the Capital City this season! 🤩
Join us in welcoming Dean Jackson, Greg Houde and Kristine Walker to our coaching staff!
🔗 https://t.co/Il3ytDW8XX pic.twitter.com/J3vTBfxHOC
The trio joins MacLeod’s staff, which also includes assistant coach Haley Irwin and goaltending coach Pierre Groulx.
Jackson comes to Ottawa after 15 years coaching at NCAA level. The 44-year-old spent five seasons as an assistant with the women’s team at Cornell University, having the chance to coach 2024 Patty Kazmaier Award winner Izzy Daniel for a couple of seasons. He also worked with Penn State University during the 2016-17 season. Jackson was hired as an assistant coach, but took on the interim head coaching duties amid the Josh Brandwene controversy.
“Dean is an experienced coach who has worked with some of the best players in the NCAA,” general manager Mike Hirshfeld said in a release. “He will be a valuable addition to our organization. He knows how to run a bench. He will be great working with our defenders.”
The Don Valley, Ontario native also coached at his alma mater, Elmira College, a D-III school. He served as an assistant with the men’s team from 2007-12, before taking over as head coach of the women’s program, a job he held until 2016.
Houde comes to Canada’s capital after working on the video coaching staff with the Vancouver Canucks as an assistant video coach. Walker, a graduate of Western University, has a PhD in sports performance, and has worked with several of the Mustangs’ athletic programs for over a decade.
The new coaching staff is hoping they can guide Ottawa to the playoffs in season two. The team went 8-1-6-9 during the first-ever PWHL season, finishing fifth place with 32 points, just three points back of a playoff spot.