Pionniers de Chamonix Mont-Blanc
| Pionniers de Chamonix Mont-Blanc | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Pionniers |
| City | Chamonix |
| League | Ligue Magnus 2016–Present |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Home arena | Richard Bozon Ice Rink |
| Colours | |
| General manager | Christophe Ville |
| Head coach | Anatoli Bogdanov |
| Captain | Clément Masson |
| Website | Les Pionniers |
The Pionniers de Chamonix Mont-Blanc (French for '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 career ties to both clubs, while his replacement Christophe Ville was viewed as purely 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]
Current roster
Updated 9 November 2024.
| No. | Nat | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Tom Aubrun | G | L | 30 | 2023 | Chamonix, France | |
| 28 | Nils Carnbäck | C | L | 27 | 2024 | Gothenburg, Sweden | |
| 54 | Valentin Coffy | D | R | 24 | 2020 | Thonon-les-Bains, France | |
| 15 | Lauric Convert | RW | R | 26 | 2020 | Grenoble, France | |
| 42 | Alexis Dogémont | D | R | 22 | 2023 | Nantes, France | |
| 46 | Camil Durand | D | R | 29 | 2020 | Chamonix, France | |
| 27 | Jérémy Fortin | C | L | 26 | 2024 | Dolbeau-Mistassini, Quebec, Canada | |
| 9 | Ričards Grīnbergs | W | L | 25 | 2024 | Valmiera, Latvia | |
| 39 | Jakub Ižacký | LW | L | 31 | 2024 | Třinec, Czech Republic | |
| 91 | Saku Kivinen | C | L | 29 | 2024 | Vantaa, Finland | |
| 96 | Stanislav Lopachuk | LW | L | 33 | 2023 | Minsk, Belarus | |
| 3 | Clément Masson (C) | C | R | 39 | 2020 | Paris, France | |
| 17 | Jordan Mugnier | F | L | 29 | 2024 | Chamonix, France | |
| 29 | Lucas Mugnier | G | L | 26 | 2023 | Chamonix, France | |
| 49 | Jakub Müller | D | R | 25 | 2022 | Slaný, Czech Republic | |
| 25 | Jérémie Penz | D | L | 26 | 2023 | Sallanches, France | |
| 77 | Bryan Ten Braak | LW | L | 35 | 2024 | Dammarie-les-Lys, France | |
| 72 | Tristan Thompson | D | L | 28 | 2024 | Canmore, Alberta, Canada | |
| 19 | Matt Tugnutt | LW | L | 29 | 2024 | Portland, Maine, United States | |
| 41 | Gabin Ville | RW | L | 27 | 2024 | Chamonix, France | |
| 21 | Malo Ville (A) | C | L | 30 | 2019 | Chamonix, France | |
| 11 | Jesper Åkerman | D | L | 25 | 2024 | Stockholm, Sweden |
References
- ^ "Chamonix / Morzine : tout savoir sur les Pionniers du hockey". lessorsavoyard.fr. Groupe Rossel-La Voix. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Alapetite, Alexis (2016-04-13). "Création d'une nouvelle équipe avec la fusion de Morzine et de Chamonix". parlonssports.fr (in French). Retrieved 2017-02-28.
- ^ "U11: Tournoi Megève Tiers de glace". megevehockeyclub.fr. Megève Hockey Club. 30 September 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
Pingouins, [...] chamois [...] ont bien compris qu'il faut maintenant compter sur les Boucs de Megeve...
- ^ "La naissance des Pionniers". Altus-Vallée de Chamonix. No. 19. Chambéry: Grands Espaces. p. 18.
Pour cette saison 2016/2017, le « camp de base » de l'équipe sera Chamonix, avec des entraînements principalement à la patinoire Richard Bozon.
- ^ a b c d e Théveniau, Yves (24 October 2017). "Comme on se retrouve…". ledauphine.com. Groupe EBRA. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Hockey sur glace: les Pionniers de Chamonix Morzine lancent leur contre-offensive". france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr. France TV. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Changement d'entraineur pour le Chamonix Morzine Hockey Club" (Press release). Chamonix Morzine Hockey Club. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Juillet, Alexandre (17 February 2017). "Hockey sur glace - LM : Stéphane Gros n'est plus entraineur des Pionniers". hockeyhebdo.com. Média Sports Loisirs. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Ligue Magnus: les hockeyeurs niçois doivent maintenir le cap". nicematin.com. Groupe Nice Matin. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2021.