Sebastien Laplante named assistant hockey coach at Northeastern
“We are thrilled to welcome back a former Husky player to the Northeastern family,” said Cronin. “The timing is right to bring back an alumnus to our coaching staff. Sebastien has demonstrated a commitment to excellence in every facet of his life. This is reflected in his being named Hockey East Distinguished Scholar in 1993 after four straight seasons on the Hockey East All-Academic team. His playing career in both junior and professional ranks was outstanding. One of Sebastian’s former coaches, Bob Hartley (head coach of the Stanley Cup champ Colorado Avalanche in 2001) described Sebastien as ‘one of the most talented people he has ever worked with.’
“Sebastien’s passion for the game and particularly with player development will have a tremendous impact on our hockey club. His playing experience at every level and his coaching tenure with young players at the Major Junior level will translate well with our current personnel.”
Laplante, 37, spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He assisted in all aspects of the game, including offensive, defensive and neutral zone systems, penalty kill and practice management. He was responsible for pregame preparation, scouting opponents and players/prospects, and also helped negotiate and complete personnel moves. Over Laplante’s two seasons with Moncton, the Wildcats went 60-59-9-12.
Laplante began coaching with midget and junior teams in Sacramento, Calif., in 2003. In his final season in 2005-06, Laplante led his Midget team to a California State Championship, a Norcal Youth Hockey Association title and a 39-10-1 record. He was also assistant coach of a Junior B team that season, helping it to a third-place finish in the Western States Hockey League and a 29-16-2 record.
As a student-athlete at Northeastern, Laplante scored 61 goals and had 79 assists for 140 points in 134 games from 1989-93. His best offensive season was 1990-91, when he posted a 27-20-47 scoring line in just 34 games. Laplante accumulated many accolades while playing for Northeastern, including the New England Hockey Writers Most Improved Player Award, Northeastern MVP Award and the Huskies Radio Award. Laplante was named to the Hockey East All-Tournament team in 1991. A four-time Hockey East All-Academic selection, he graduated Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Therapy in 1995.
Laplante began his professional hockey career in 1993-94 with the Greensboro Monarchs of the ECHL, posting a 35-38-73 scoring line in 60 games. He also played for the Cornwall A’s (AHL), Amiens Somme HC (France), San Antonio Iguanas (CHL), Quad City Mallards (UHL) and Fort Wayne Komets (IHL). Laplante retired from pro hockey in 1997 and began working for NovaCare Rehabilitation, a physical therapy company, and began coaching in 2003. Originally from Cap-Rouge, Quebec, Laplante played for the Hawkesbury Hawks, a Junior “A” team and the Midget AAA Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy prior to attending Northeastern.
June 4, 2008
Boston, MASebastien Laplante has been named assistant coach of men’s ice hockey at Northeastern University, head coach Greg Cronin announced on June 4. Laplante, a 1995 graduate of Northeastern, has been coaching in the junior hockey ranks for the past five seasons after completing his pro hockey career.
