PWHL

Just eight days passed between the announcement of Fleet coach Kris Sparre’s departure and the arrival of new bench boss François Méthot.

By Emma Healy, The Boston Globe

June 7, 2026 | 4:54 PM

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WELLESLEY — Having hired a head coach three times in the past four years, Fleet general manager Danielle Marmer feels like she has a pretty good handle on the process.

That’s part of the reason why just eight days passed between the announcement of Kris Sparre’s departure and the arrival of new bench boss François Méthot.

The other reason the process was so swift, Marmer said, was because she was “blown away” by Méthot.

Méthot, 48, has spent the last decade with the Rochester Jr. Americans organization, including the past three seasons as the coach and GM of the Americans’ junior team, which competes in the NAHL. He has previously trained NHL and PWHL players, including Fleet defender Haley Winn, through the Rochester Ice Center Academy, which he runs.

The new coach has no plans to make drastic changes after the Fleet finished the regular season tied for first place with a record 62 points.

The players raved at the Fleet’s breakup day in May about the team’s culture, and every player made available to the media said she would want to remain in Boston if given the chance.

“The foundation is there, the culture is there,” Méthot said. “It would be foolish for me to come in and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to change everything and do it my way.’ ”

Méthot, who said he watched “a good amount of games every week” this past season, was complimentary of the job Sparre did during his season at the helm and hopes to replicate some aspects of the 2025-26 team’s on-ice identity.

The Fleet became known as a difficult team to play against, one that ground down opponents with an aggressive style and a relentless forecheck. Méthot, who played 17 years of professional hockey, said that’s a similar style to how he played and how he coaches.

“I’m about an aggressive style — fast, physical, connected,” Méthot said. “I like puck possession and creativity, so there’s a blend of both. The end goal is for the other team to circle the days they’re going to play Boston, because it’s going to be a hard night.”

Marmer said she sought out candidates who would be able to build on the foundation Sparre set, and the GM was drawn to that aspect of Méthot’s approach during the interview process.

Still, the team will likely look drastically different next season as the PWHL expands by four teams. The Fleet on Wednesday announced their first three protections from the expansion process — Winn, Megan Keller, and Aerin Frankel — but beyond that group, much of the roster is in limbo.

Marmer had made her protection decisions prior to hiring Méthot, but she asked him during the interview process who he would protect, and he came to the same conclusion she did.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty, but I really believe in building from the back end,” Méthot said. “The core of potential returners is a really good group to build on, because they have the culture down.”

The brass’s next task will be to shore up the offense with elite scorers. Marmer opted to preserve her defensive core rather than protecting Alina Müller, Boston’s first pick (third overall) in the inaugural PWHL Draft who totaled a career-high 21 points on four goals and 17 assists this past season.

The Fleet also could face the departure of top-scoring pending free agents Jessie Eldridge (14-9–23) and Susanna Tapani (9-9–18) during the expansion process.

“Danielle has a plan, and we’re going over it, and obviously it’s going to be about bringing goals, scoring goals,” Méthot said.

Méthot was part of a short list of candidates that included third-year Fleet assistant Stefanie McKeough, who also was in the running for the top job last offseason. Marmer said Méthot’s experience playing professional hockey and his history of working in development were among the deciding factors.

“Stef is a phenomenal coach and absolutely ready to be head coach in this league,” Marmer said. “But I wanted somebody who had some years of experience developing a lot of different types of players, and so that ultimately came down to the decision.”

Whether Méthot plans to retain all or some of the assistants from this past is to be announced.

The roster won’t be finalized until late June after the conclusion of the expansion process, the entry draft (June 17), and free agency (which opens June 19), but Méthot intends to hit the ground running.

“Our messaging right off the bat is going to be very clear and consistent,” Méthot said. “We have a clear path. We have a clear goal. Danielle and I, we want to bring a championship to the Fleet.”