Broncos hire Praught as assistant coach
The Swift Current Broncos have hired Devan Praught as an assistant coach ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Praught will join Head Coach Dean Brockman and Assistant Coach Scott Dutertre. He will fill the position vacated by Brandin Cote, who left to join the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team.
Praught, from Summerside, P.E.I., has spent the past eight seasons at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, the most recent five of those as the head coach of the Notre Dame U18 AAA Hounds. Since taking on the position ahead of the 2016-17 season, Praught led the Hounds to a 134-35-13 record and won back-to-back league championships in 2018 and 2019. The Hounds also captured the 2018 Telus Cup, the U18 AAA national championship. For his efforts, Praught was named the SMAAAHL’S Coach of the Year in both 2018 and 2019.
He served as the head coach of Team Saskatchewan at the 2019 WHL Cup, guiding Team Saskatchewan to their first ever gold medal at the event.
Prior to his last position, the 33-year-old Praught spent two seasons as the head coach of the Notre Dame U18 AAA Argos and one season as head coach of the Notre Dame U18 AA Hounds.
As a player Praught played in parts of three seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League before a fiveyear career at the Usports level, four at St. Thomas University in Fredericton,
New Brunswick and one at the University of P.E.I.
The Broncos also announced last week the signing of 2004-born German defenceman Rayan Bettahar to a Standard Player Agreement. He was selected fifth overall in the 2021 CHL Import Draft June 30.
Bettahar, born in Poland, was limited to just three games of league action during the 20-21 season, posting an assist for the Jungadler Mannheim U20 team.
During the 2019-20 campaign Bettahar scored five goals and added 25 assists in 35 games for the Jungadler Mannheim U17 program.
The 6’1’’, 194-pound defenceman represented Germany at the 2021 World U18 Championships in Texas earlier this year.
Bettahar, the first German player ever selected by the Broncos in the CHL Import Draft, will join his new team on the ice for training camp in September.
The Broncos also announced last week that veteran defenseman Sam Mcginley has been invited to the St. Louis Blues rookie camp, which begins September 12.
The Calgary native registered one goal and five assists in 22 games during the 2020-21 hub season. He now has four goals and 14 assists in 61 games with the Broncos after being acquired from the Regina Pats on November 14, 2019. He has been named the Broncos Most Improved Player in both of his seasons with the team.