Larry Courville
| Larry Courville | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 2, 1975 Timmins, ON, CAN |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) |
| Position | Left Wing |
| Shot | Left |
| Played for | Vancouver Canucks |
| NHL Draft | 119th overall, 1993 Winnipeg Jets 61st overall, 1995 Vancouver Canucks |
| Playing career | 1995–2001 |
Larry P. Courville (born April 2, 1975 in Timmins, Ontario) was a professional ice hockey player who spent parts of three seasons in the National Hockey League. He currently serves as head coach of the Reading Royals of the ECHL.
Courville was originally drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the 5th round (119th overall) of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. He had an excellent final OHL season in 1994–95 in which he scored 73 points and was a key component of Canada's gold medal-winning team at the 1995 World Junior Championships, but was unable to come to contract terms with Winnipeg. As a result, he re-entered the draft and was selected 61st overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1995 NHL draft.
Courville had a fine first professional season the following year with Vancouver AHL affiliate in Syracuse, scoring 49 points and earning a 3-game callup to the Canucks, where he scored his first NHL goal. Over the next two seasons, he would continue to be a frequent callup, seeing 30 more games in the NHL with Vancouver. However, he struggled to produce recording just 2 assists.
After spending four seasons in the Canuck organization, Courville was released in 1999 and signed with the San Jose Sharks. Courville's grit and leadership proved a valuable asset to the Sharks' farm team in Kentucky, but he failed to see any action with the Sharks in two seasons with the organization.
Since leaving the San Jose organization, Courville has played in the minor leagues. He was possibly the biggest name player in the short-lived North Eastern Hockey League, playing for the York IceCats in the 2003–04 season. After spending three seasons with the Reading Royals, Courville retired.
He was named interim head coach for the Royals on January 6, 2009, replacing Jason Nobili and returned as head coach for the 2009-2010 season.