Francois Methot becomes third Fleet coach in 3 years

The Boston Fleet named Francois Methot as their new head coach on Thursday.

Methot, 48, is the PWHL franchise's third head coach in the past three years, following Kris Sparre and Courtney Birchard-Kessel.

Sparre, a finalist for PWHL Coach of the Year honors this past season, departed to become the head coach of the expansion team in Hamilton, Ontario.

Methot spent the past three seasons as the coach and general manager of the Rochester Junior Americans of the North American Hockey League, compiling a 110-51-17 record.

The next voyage begins ??

We are proud to announce Francois Methot as our Head Coach beginning with the 2026-27 season. Methot brings more than 11 years of coaching and player development experience to the Fleet, with a proven track record of advancing athletes' on-ice... pic.twitter.com/u4PXPQqVPT

— Boston Fleet (@PWHL_Boston) June 4, 2026

"Francois stood out throughout the process because of his clear vision for our team and commitment to player development, along with his ability to communicate and build strong relationships," Fleet general manager Danielle Marmer said. "He has a proven track record of developing elite players on both the men's and women's sides of the game, including NHL and PWHL athletes."

Before coaching, Methot was selected by the Buffalo Sabres with the 54th selection in the 1996 NHL Draft. A forward, he played six seasons in the American Hockey League and 11 in Germany's top league.

"I am thrilled to join the Boston Fleet as head coach," Methot said in the team's release. "This organization has tremendous momentum following an outstanding season, and I'm excited to build upon the strong culture and foundation already in place. I look forward to working alongside this talented group of players and staff as we pursue a championship and continue the proud tradition of excellence that defines Boston sports."

--Field Level Media