Kevin Dessart has been named the new head coach of the Lawrence women’s hockey team.
Dessart comes to Lawrence from the University of Colorado, where he has coached the women’s club hockey team since 2019. In three years under Dessart’s guidance, the Buffaloes won back-to-back Western Women’s Collegiate Hockey League championships, earning berths in the ACHA national championship tournament.
He replaces Jocey Kleiber, who was dismissed after two seasons.
“This an opportunity to really build a foundation for the program, for the present and for the future,” said Dessart in a statement. “This is not a short-term build, but rather a build over time during which we can grow a very strong program.”
“We are excited for Kevin’s leadership of our women’s ice hockey program,” added LU chief of staff and secretary to the board of trustees Christyn Abaray. “With the program so early in its life, having Kevin’s level of experience and knowledge in both hockey and student development at the helm will provide the guidance needed for us to move forward, providing our student-athletes the high-quality experience they deserve. I’m also enthusiastic because he is here to win, and that is what we want as well. It’s a good day to be a Viking.”
Dessart has been coaching women’s hockey since 2001. Dessart led the Colorado Springs Amateur Hockey Association 19U team from 2001 before moving to the University of Colorado in 2019.
“This is going to be a team culture built on trust and hard work,” said Dessart. “The trust has to come first, and we will be the hardest working team on the ice. The players will understand they are not playing for themselves, they are playing for their teammates and the program. The program is bigger than all of us. Players will have their individual goals, but it’s all about the program.
“I’m looking for players who can mesh well as a team and help us perform. As a coach, you want players who will grab the opportunity, put in the work for each other and have the trust and confidence to play hard and play together toward a common goal.”
Dessart has spent a lifetime in the game. He grew up playing the game in New York and was a collegiate player at St. John’s (N.Y.) University before the program disbanded in the early 1990s. Dessart earned a bachelor’s degree in athletic administration/business administration from St. John’s in 1990.
He then spent 11 years working in the NHL, starting as a media relations assistant with the New York Islanders in 1989. Dessart worked as the assistant to the general manager of the Florida Panthers before serving as director of public relations for the New Jersey Devils.
In addition, Dessart is also a coach developer for USA Hockey as well as a coach for the USA Hockey Girls National 16/17 camp.
