Senators name Dave Cameron Head Coach

Monday December 8, 2014

Ottawa, ON – Ottawa Senators General Manager Bryan Murray announced Monday that 10-year OHL coaching veteran Dave Cameron will serve as the team’s new Head Coach.

The announcement comes with the club’s decision to relieve Paul MacLean of his duties as the Senators have begun the season with an 11-11-5 record in seventh place in the NHL’s Atlantic Division.

Having spent the past three full seasons behind the bench as an Assistant Coach to MacLean, Cameron has earned the confidence of Murray, who spoke favourably of him during the announcement on Monday.

“Dave Cameron has worked in the American Hockey League, and more recently has coached Team Canada in the World Junior Hockey Championships. He’s been a junior coach with great success and is a very good teacher for our younger players,” Murray said of Cameron, a former school teacher. “Dave has a hockey IQ and played in the NHL. After watching his team play in his last year of junior hockey in Mississauga combined with his experience here with us, I see a man that will step up and allow the players to play their game but be able to relate to them well one on one.”

Having steered the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors to the 2011 OHL Finals before a MasterCard Memorial Cup Final loss to Saint John in his most recent OHL endeavor, Cameron moved on to join the Senators organization in 2011 alongside former Owen Sound Attack Head Coach Mark Reeds.

A native of Charlottetown, PEI, Cameron made OHL coaching stops in Sault Ste. Marie and Mississauga, manning the bench with the Greyhounds from 1997-1999 before a one year stint as an assistant with the St. John’s Maple Leafs. Cameron then spent four years as the Head Coach of the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors from 2000-2004 before taking over as the Head Coach of the AHL’s Binghamton Senators for three seasons. Upon his return to the OHL in 2007, Cameron coached the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors to four straight playoff berths and two Eastern Conference Championship appearances. The 2011 Majors lost in an intense seven game OHL Championship series to Owen Sound.

Cameron has also coached on the international stage collecting a silver medal as Canada’s Head Coach in the 2011 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, also earning silver as an Associate Coach for Canada in 2010, and winning gold as an Assistant Coach in 2009.  He also served as Head Coach of Canada’s national men’s summer under-18 team at the 2004 U-18 Junior World Cup, winning a gold medal and was assistant coach as the team had a fourth-place finish at the tournament in 2003.

He ranks 16th all-time in OHL coaching wins with a career record of 361-272-45.

During his time in the OHL, Cameron coached current NHL talent in Kevin Klein (New York Rangers), Ryan Wilson (Colorado Avalanche), Cal Clutterbuck (New York Islanders), goaltender Justin Peters (Washington Capitals), Casey Cizikas (New York Islanders) and Devante Smith-Pelly (Anaheim Ducks).

In addition to a career behind the bench, Cameron also played in 168 career NHL games as a member of the Colorado Rockies and New Jersey Devils franchise. He makes his Senators Head Coaching debut on Thursday night at home to the Los Angeles Kings.

For more information please visit ottawasenators.com.