| Pionniers de Chamonix Mont-Blanc | |
 | |
| City: | Chamonix, France |
|---|---|
| League: | Ligue Magnus 2016–present |
| Founded: | 2016 |
| Home Arena: | Centre Sportif Richard Bozon |
| Colors: | |
| Franchise history | |
| 2016-2017: | Pionniers de Chamonix-Morzine |
| 2017-present: | Pionniers de Chamonix Mont-Blanc |
The Pionniers de Chamonix Mont-Blanc (Chamonix Mont-Blanc Pioneers) are a French ice hockey team based in Chamonix, Haute-Savoie. They play in the country's top tier, the Ligue Magnus. For their inaugural 2016–17 season, they were known as Pionniers de Chamonix-Morzine.
History[]
Origins[]
In 2016, France's Ligue Magnus adopted an expanded schedule and cut its number of teams from 14 to 12. The league's two Haute-Savoie clubs, the Chamois de Chamonix and the Pingouins de Morzine-Avoriaz, decided to merge their respective professional teams in order to better face the economic and competitive challenges presented by the new setup. The result of that fusion was a joint team called the Pionniers,[1] splitting its home games between Chamonix and Morzine-Avoriaz.[2] The amateur sections remained separate and retained the Chamois and Pingouins names.[3]
While both towns are located within the same department, they are not particularly close, with Chamonix nested in the Mont Blanc massif and Morzine-Avoriaz part of the Chablais region. Following negotiations between the two municipalities, it was agreed that Chamonix would be the united team's training base for its inaugural season,[4] as well as the owner of its league franchise.[5]
2016-17 season[]
The precarious balance between the two organizations was quickly challenged when the new Pionniers limped out of the gate to a dismal record.[6] Mid-February 2017, head coach Stéphane Gros was dismissed as the team was dead last in the standings. The move was not unexpected from a sporting standpoint, but it further aggravated the Morzine-Avoriaz side as Gros had previous ties to their club, while his replacement Christophe Ville was viewed as a Chamonix man.[7][8] The Pioneers still finished the season in last place and Morzine-Avoriaz renounced the partnership after a single season.[5]
Aftermath[]
As the fusion agreement was more protective of Chamonix's interests, Morzine-Avoriaz suffered the most damaging fallout.[5] Chamonix kept the organization's trademarks and visual identity, and most importantly its position in the French hockey rankings.[5] While their twelfth-place finish should have sent them to the lower division, they ended up being saved from relegation by the withdrawal of Dijon from the Ligue Magnus.[9]
Morzine-Avoriaz on the other hand returned to its previous identity, the Penguins, and had to start all over at the country's fourth level, the Division 3, in 2017–18.[5]
Roster[]
Updated February 5, 2019.[10]
| Goaltenders | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Catches | Acquired | Place of Birth | |
| 29 | 
|
Lucas Mugnierl | L | 2018 | Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France |
| 33 | 
|
Richard Sabol | L | 2017 | Prešov, Slovakia |
| Defencemen | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Shoots | Acquired | Place of Birth | ||
| 4 | 
|
Geoff Fortman | R | 2018 | Crystal Lake, United States | |
| 5 |
|
Colin Sullivan | R | 2018 | Milford, United States | |
| 25 |
|
Jérémie Penz | L | 2016 | Sallanches, France | |
| 32 |
|
Numa Bessone (C) | L | 2012 | Sallanches, France | |
| 44 | 
|
Maks Selan | L | 2018 | Jesenice, Slovenia | |
| 45 | 
|
Vojtech Kloz | L | 2018 | Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic | |
| 57 |
|
Jiri Klimicek | L | 2018 | Ostrava, Czech Republic | |
| 94 |
|
Clément Mermoux | R | 2018 | Sallanches, France | |
| Forwards | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Shoots | Position | Acquired | Place of Birth | |
| 12 | 
|
Perry D'Arrisso | R | RW | 2018 | Mississauga, Canada |
| 14 |
|
Adrien Glévéau | R | RW | 2017 | Sallanches, France |
| 16 |
|
Julien Laplace | L | C | 2017 | Annecy, France |
| 17 |
|
Fabien Kazarine | L | LW/RW | 2018 | Compiègne, France |
| 20 |
|
Cody Freeman | L | RW | 2018 | Markham, Canada |
| 22 |
|
Quentin Fauchon | R | RW | 2018 | Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, France |
| 27 |
|
Benjamin Lagarde | L | LW | 2018 | Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec, Canada |
| 33 |
|
Mathieu Briand | L | C | 2018 | Saint-Pierre, Saint Pierre and Miquelon |
| 40 |
|
Erik Higby | L | C | 2018 | New Braunfels, United States |
| 54 |
|
Scott Jacklin (A) | L | C/LW | 2018 | Kimberley, Canada |
| 55 | 
|
Henric Andersén (A) | R | RW | 2017 | Grums, Sweden |
| 72 |
|
Loïc Coulaud | R | RW | 2018 | Gap, France |
| 77 |
|
Maxence Leroux | R | C/RW | 2018 | Melun, France |
References[]
- ↑ Chamonix / Morzine : tout savoir sur les Pionniers du hockey. Groupe Rossel-La Voix (19 July 2016).
- ↑ Alapetite, Alexis. "Création d’une nouvelle équipe avec la fusion de Morzine et de Chamonix", parlonssports.fr, 2016-04-13. (fr-FR)
- ↑ U11: Tournoi Megève Tiers de glace. Megève Hockey Club (30 September 2018). “Pingouins, [...] chamois [...] ont bien compris qu'il faut maintenant compter sur les Boucs de Megeve...”
- ↑ "La naissance des Pionniers" (19). Chambéry: Grands Espaces. “Pour cette saison 2016/2017, le « camp de base » de l’équipe sera Chamonix, avec des entraînements principalement à la patinoire Richard Bozon.”
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Théveniau, Yves (24 October 2017). Comme on se retrouve…. Groupe EBRA.
- ↑ Hockey sur glace: les Pionniers de Chamonix Morzine lancent leur contre-offensive. France TV (19 July 2016).
- ↑ Chamonix Morzine Hockey Club (17 February 2017). Changement d’entraineur pour le Chamonix Morzine Hockey Club. Press release.
- ↑ Juillet, Alexandre (17 February 2017). Hockey sur glace - LM : Stéphane Gros n’est plus entraineur des Pionniers.. Média Sports Loisirs.
- ↑ Ligue Magnus: les hockeyeurs niçois doivent maintenir le cap. Groupe Nice Matin (26 September 2017).
- ↑ Pionniers de Chamonix-Morzine Roster (fr).
