Life as a minor pro hockey player isn’t always easy.
Not many guys receive the security of long-term deals and players are always looking to showcase themselves in order to land their next contract.
“Your faith gets tested at times,” former P.E.I. Rocket left-winger Jimmy Bonneau admitted.
“If you fold, careers can end so quickly. . . You need to persevere.”
Bonneau did just that.
The hard-working tough guy was a fan favourite during his two seasons with the Rocket. After junior, he spent 11 seasons between the ECHL and AHL, but it was with the San Jose Sharks organization he found a home.
He played four seasons toward the end of his career with their AHL team in Worcester.
When he decided to hang up the skates, the Sharks offered him a chance to scout. After two years working in his new profession, Bonneau is about to begin the next chapter of his hockey career – that of a coach.
Bonneau and Michael Chiasson will join head coach Roy Sommer's staff as assistants with the San Jose Barracuda this season.
Bonneau, the 33-year-old Baie-Comeau, Que., native, is appreciative of the opportunity the organization has provided him.
“It means the world to me,” he said. “These guys are some of the most important people in my life, other than my family, so I am very grateful.”
Bonneau said from early in his playing tenure with the Sharks he felt there was a good fit with the club, working with quality people. He said there are no guarantees and it’s not always easy, but if you treat the game right by being professional on and off the ice and during the off-season, it usually pays off.
“For me, it’s . . . proof that, I think, I did things right when I was with the organization and people were watching.”
Bonneau said he is looking forward to working with Sommer, who he played for during his time in Worcester. Sommer began his coaching career in 1987.
“I’m very excited and fortunate to go work with a guy who has so many records and has accomplished so much in that league,” Bonneau said.
The only player remaining on the roster from Bonneau’s time with the Sharks organization is captain John McCarthy, who played for the United States at the 2018 Olympics in South Korea.
Bonneau said he’s also quite familiar with another one of their players who has P.E.I. connections, former Islanders goalie Antoine Bibeau.
“I used to train with Bibeau back in Charlottetown,” he said. “I’m familiar with everybody, being in the organization” as a scout the last two season.
Bonneau hopes to get back to Prince Edward Island for a visit in August before heading to California to get the season started.
“The (Islanders) organization and the people of P.E.I. have always been so good to me ever since I got there as a late teenager,” he said. “Those days are fond memories.”
It might be a bit of a stretch, but Bonneau might be able to trace his coaching career back to Pownal.
“I think running a bench in an intrasquad game, so the coaches can sit in the stands and get a better evaluation, isn’t exactly a coaching start,” he laughed, “but I could say that’s where the itch started. . .
“I love the game. I love the cultural of hockey, everything around it.”
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Jimmy Bonneau
Who – A hockey player from Baie-Comeau, Que., who played with the P.E.I. Rocket for two seasons.
The latest – Bonneau and Michael Chiasson were recently named as assistant coaches for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. Both have been scouts with the organization the past couple of seasons.
Bonneau said: “It’s a league I know well. It’s where I did most of my playing as a pro and I am looking forward to get back in there.”
Barracuda general manager Joe Will said: “It became clear from the beginning that when Jimmy and Michael joined our organization they had an aptitude for coaching,” said Will. “Both men have great knowledge of the game and are going to really help develop our young players. We're excited to have them join the Barracuda coaching staff.”
