Ben Groulx was hired as Syracuse Crunch head coach on May 10, 2016. In his first season in Syracuse, Groulx coached the Crunch to the franchise’s second Calder Cup Finals appearance. Under his leadership, the Crunch won the North Division with a 38-24-7-7 regular season mark before rolling through the Eastern Conference playoffs with an 11-5 record through the first three rounds. The Crunch were defeated by the Grand Rapids Griffins in the 2017 Calder Cup Finals, four games to two.

In his second season with the Crunch, Groulx guided a rookie-laden team to the best regular season in franchise history, posting a 46-22-3-5 record. It was the third time in franchise history the team reached 100 points and their 0.658 points percentage was the best in team history at the time. A first-round sweep gave the Crunch a playoff series win in back-to-back years for the first time in team history. It was also the first time the Crunch won a playoff series in the same year as their NHL affiliate.

Groulx and the Crunch improved again in his third season at the helm, leading the Crunch to a 47-21-4-4 record, matching their franchise record for wins (47) and points (102). It was the second straight 100-point season and the fourth in franchise history. The team’s 0.671 points percentage established another new franchise record. Through four seasons, Groulx holds a 161-90-18-21 record with the Crunch. His 0.622 points percentage is second among head coaches in franchise history behind Jon Cooper (0.662) and he is the only coach to lead the Crunch to the playoffs each (completed) season.

He had been the head coach and general manager for the Gatineau Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League during the 2015-16 season, guiding his team to a record of 46-19-2-1. The Olympiques were defeated in the 2016 QMJHL Quarter-Final by the Moncton Wildcats four games to two. Groulx has worked 13 total seasons as a head coach in the QMJHL with the Hull/Gatineau Olympiques, posting a career record of 460-293-18-59. He led his teams to league championships in 2003, 2004 and 2008, earning QMJHL Coach of the Year honors for the 2003-04 season while coaching the Olympiques.

The Hull, Quebec native also served on the coaching staffs for Team Canada at the 2004 U18 World Championships as well as the 2014 and 2015 IIHF World Junior Championships. Groulx was an assistant coach for the Gold Medal winning Team Canada at the U18 World Championships in 2004. Groulx was also an assistant coach for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships in 2014 as Canada was defeated in the Bronze Medal game by Russia. The following year, Groulx was the head coach for Team Canada, winning the Gold Medal and earning a perfect 7-0 record during the tournament.

Groulx also has two years of head coaching experience in the American Hockey League with the Rochester Americans (2008-09, 2009-10), compiling a record of 73-76-11 while leading the Americans to one Calder Cup playoffs appearance.

Groulx is the ninth head coach in Syracuse Crunch history, replacing Rob Zettler, who had been the team’s head coach for three and one-half seasons. Zettler replaced Jon Cooper, the first head coach of the Crunch’s Lightning era, March 25, 2013.