Earlier in the offseason, the Montreal Canadiens' coaching staff underwent a slight change as the club brought in former Stanley Cup champion Derek Lalonde to replace Trevor Letowski, who was stepping down from his role as an assistant coach in order to spend some more time with his family.
"Montreal Canadiens president, hockey operations Jeff Gorton announced on Monday that Derek Lalonde has been appointed as associate coach." the Canadiens said in a press release back in early July.
When sharing that Letowski would be stepping down from the Canadiens' bench, Sportsnet's Eric Engels shared that the front office wanted to keep the former NHL defenseman in the organization in some capacity and this week, the 49-year-old's new role with Montreal has been revealed.
Trevor Letowski Lands New Role With the Montreal Canadiens
In a post on X on Tuesday afternoon, Eric Engels reported that Trevor Letowski will officially remain with the Montreal Canadiens for the 2026-27 season, as he becomes a player development coach for the organization.
"As I reported when Trevor Letowski stepped away from the coaching staff for family reasons, the Canadiens still wanted to keep him in the fold. They’ve officially done that now. His new title: Player development coach." Engels said.
As I reported when Trevor Letowski stepped away from the coaching staff for family reasons, the Canadiens still wanted to keep him in the fold. They’ve officially done that now. His new title: Player development coach.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) September 1, 2026
Letowski's new role with the Canadiens has him joining a loaded player development group, formerly led by Rob Ramage, who announced his retirement as Director of Player Development shortly after the team's Development Camp concluded in early July.
The current members of Montreal's Player Development staff are Francis Bouillon (coach), Lauri Korpikoski (European Player Development coach), Marie-Philip Poulin (consultant), Paul Byron (consultant) and Alexandre Burrows (consultant). While the Canadiens haven't announced a replacement for Rob Ramage yet, it wouldn't shock me in the slightest if Francis Bouillon lands that role.
Letowski, a native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, brings plenty of experience to his new role. Prior to joining the Montreal Canadiens' coaching staff in 2021, he spent ten seasons behind the bench in the Ontario Hockey League with the Sarnia Sting and Windsor Spitfires, helping the latter capture the Memorial Cup on home ice in 2017 with a roster that included former Hab Mikhail Sergachev, Gabriel Vilardi, Jalen Chatfield, Logan Stanley and Michael DiPietro.
His first task as a player development coach with the Canadiens will come next week as the team's Rookie Camp gets underway on September 9th at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard. From there, the Canadiens' rookies will head two-and-a-half hours northwest to Gatineau to participate in the 2026 Prospect Challenge. Montreal is set to face the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday, September 12th at 1 pm ET, followed by the Ottawa Senators on Sunday, September 13th at 6 pm ET.