The Halifax Mooseheads are parting ways with their head coach after only one season on the job.
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) team announced in a press release Wednesday that they have fired Jim Midgley, who was promoted to the head coaching position back in June.
“This was a very hard decision that we had to make but we feel it is the right move for the team moving forward,” said Halifax Mooseheads general manager, Cam Russell, in a statement.
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Midgley coached the team to a 43-18-6-1 regular season record and a fourth place finish in the QMJHL standings, but his team was swept by the ninth-ranked Charlottetown Islanders in the second round of the playoffs.
“I would like to thank Jim Midgley for the dedication he brought to his position as head coach of the Halifax Mooseheads,” said Halifax Mooseheads majority owner, Bobby Smith, in a statement.
“There are many positive aspects to the 2017-18 season and Jim deserves credit to guiding the team to a 93-point season, a first-round playoff victory and overseeing the development of our players.”
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Midgley spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the team before being promoted.
The search for a new head coach is now underway.
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The Halifax Mooseheads won hosting rights to the 2019 Memorial Cup earlier in April. The national championship will be played May 17-26, 2019, at the Scotiabank Centre and feature the host team Mooseheads, along with the champions of the QMJHL, Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League.