By Western Hockey League

Prince Albert Raiders head coach Marc Habscheid has submitted his resignation with the team, effective immediately, and has accepted a head coaching position in the professional ranks in Europe.

The Club announced the news Thursday morning.

“It’s certainly hard to lose a quality coach like Marc with his experience,” Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt said. “We appreciate the time he has given us and the culture that he has helped to build and maintain in his time here. We wish him nothing but the best of luck as he heads off for another challenge.”

A veteran of over 1,100 WHL games coached with Kamloops, Kelowna, Chilliwack, Victoria and Prince Albert, Habscheid joined the Raiders in 2014. He led the club to their second WHL Championship in 2019, and won the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as WHL Coach of the Year the same season. He became the eighth coach in WHL history to reach the 500 win milestone, and finished his tenure in the Western Hockey League with a pair of WHL Championships (2002-03, 2018-19) and a Memorial Cup title (2004).

Habscheid left a message for the fans before departing the team.

“Raider fans, for the past seven and a half seasons, it has been an honour to be the Head Coach of the Prince Albert Raiders. When I arrived in this city during the 2014-15 season, I thought I had an idea of what it would be like. Today I can say, my anticipation was blown away. As a member of this coaching staff, we watched kids grow into young men both on and off the ice, which culminated in celebrating a WHL Championship here inside the Art Hauser Centre. To every player who wore a Raider jersey, to every staff member who gave their time to our team, and most importantly to the great fans of Prince Albert, thank you.

“With that said and countless hours of thinking through it, I am announcing my resignation as Head Coach of the Raiders. I am at a point in my career where I am looking for a new challenge and one has presented itself. I am accepting the Head Coach position with a team in Europe. Here in Prince Albert, we have created memories and friendships which will last a lifetime.”

The search for a new head coach in Prince Albert will begin immediately.