Blazers’ Clouston honoured for 500th WHL victory – Kamloops Blazers
Kamloops Blazers head coach and GM Shaun Clouston joined rare company earlier this season, becoming the 10th head coach in league history to reach 500 coaching victories.
Clouston was recognized by the WHL and League Commissioner Ron Robison prior to Wednesday’s contest versus the Regina Pats. Clouston earned his 500th win October 7 against the Victoria Royals.
“It’s special,” Clouston said following the milestone victory. “There’s been a lot of wins here, but there’s been a whole bunch of guys in the dressing room that have been a big part of a whole bunch of those, it’s pretty cool.”
Clouston, who as a player posted 79- and 92-point seasons as captain of the Portland Winterhawks in 1987-88 and 1988-89, began his coaching journey as an assistant with the Oregon WHL Club in 2001-02.
A season later, he got his start as a head coach with the Tri-City Americans before joining the Medicine Hat Tigers as an assistant to Willie Desjardins ahead of a WHL Championship season in 2003-04.
Clouston captured another League title with Medicine Hat three years later as an associate coach, then made the transition to head coach in the Gas City in 2010-11, a role he held for nine seasons.
He then made the move West to Kamloops for the start of the 2019-20 season, winning a trio of B.C. Division titles with the Blazers in each of his three full seasons in charge, while also adding general manager duties to his portfolio for the second time in his career.