When Joe Bertagna stepped down after 23 years as Hockey East commissioner at the end of the 2019-20 season, he had no idea that he was setting a trend. Two years after Bertagna’s departure, Josh Fenton left the NCHC after serving as that league’s only commissioner since its inception in 2013. At the end of … Read more
Minnesota will host the 2024 men’s Ice Breaker Tournament at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Air Force, Massachusetts and Omaha will also compete in the event, scheduled for Oct. 11-12, 2024. “Las Vegas hosting the 2024 Ice Breaker is another example of the impressive growth of hockey, and particularly college hockey, in our country,” said … Read more
College hockey’s tides are changing. The emergence of new programs and their alignment into new conferences are inserting new conversation pieces into the overall landscape, and the rising profiles of Arizona State and Augustana are two examples in a world that looks nothing like its historical decades. The transformation is sometimes hard to swallow, but … Read more
Realignment is on everyone’s mind in college sports these days. Things are changing, and the majority of sports won’t resemble anything like their present state by this time next year. The ACC, the Big Ten, the Big 12, the SEC – they’re all going to be different, and the dominant news in the sports cycle … Read more
Minnesota Duluth has elevated the role of longtime goaltender coach Brant Nicklin to assistant coach. Nicklin has been a volunteer assistant coach for the Bulldogs men staff since the 2014-15 season, and prior to joining the men, served as the UMD women’s goaltending coach from 2009 to 2014. Nicklin was on coaching staff for the … Read more
Omaha has announced the addition of Peter Aubry as associate coach for the men’s hockey team. Aubry previously worked with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks and AHL’s Rockford IceHogs in a development and analytics role. “Peter Aubry is a great addition to the Mavericks, and we are very excited to have him here in Omaha with … Read more
North Dakota deputy director of athletics Erik Martinson has been named the NCAA men’s and women’s ice hockey rules committee chair. “It is an incredible honor to work with so many great people across the entire landscape of collegiate hockey,” said Martinson in a statement. “The work that this group does behind the scenes to … Read more
The NCHC on Tuesday unveiled its 2023-24 preseason media poll, with Denver being selected to win the Penrose Cup for a third straight year. This marks the second straight season the Pioneers were picked atop the poll. Denver totaled 199 points in this year’s poll, while picking up 11 of a possible 28 first-place votes. … Read more
Four teams are represented on the 2023-24 NCHC preseason all-conference team selected by media members. Denver and North Dakota each placed two players on the six-man team, while St. Cloud State and Colorado College each have one student-athlete on the squad. 2023-24 NCHC PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM (out of 27 ballots) F – Jackson Blake, North … Read more
St. Cloud State men’s and women’s hockey head coaches Brett Larson and Brian Idalski have jointly announced the addition of Lenny Hofmann to their coaching staffs where he will serve as the director of operations and video coordinator for both teams. Hofmann joins St. Cloud State after 14 seasons at numerous stops across collegiate and … Read more
Denver has announced that Ryan Massa has been named an assistant coach for the Pioneers. Massa first joined Denver’s staff on Aug. 1, 2021 as a volunteer assistant where he worked with the team’s goaltenders, assisted in on-ice skill development and provided scouting reports for the student-athletes. He also assisted in managing the bench during … Read more
Christiano Versich has been named the next assistant coach of the Canton men’s hockey program. Versich, a 2021 graduate of St. Thomas, also spent three seasons with Colorado College. He comes to Canton after playing professional hockey last season for Cergy-Pontoise in the France Ligue Magnus and for DEAC in the Erste Liga in Hungary. … Read more
North Dakota has announced that former North Dakota defenseman and team captain Dillon Simpson will return to the program as the third assistant coach. “We are very excited in welcoming Dillon Simpson and his family back to our North Dakota hockey family,” said UND head coach Brad Berry in a statement. “Dillon brings a wealth … Read more
After announcing in July the addition of Arizona State as its ninth member starting with the 2024-25 season, the NCHC has finalized its 2025 conference tournament postseason format. The new playoff model was unanimously approved by the NCHC Athletic Council (member athletic directors). All nine teams will qualify for the NCHC playoffs in 2025. A … Read more
Miami has announced that Adam Phillips has been named assistant to the head coach. Phillips previously served as an assistant coach at Adrian. “I am honored and extremely excited to be joining the Miami University hockey program,” Phillips said in a statement. “I feel very fortunate to be able to work with such a great … Read more
Minnesota Duluth junior defenseman Will Francis announced today that his cancer has returned and he’ll miss the first half of the upcoming 2023-24 season. He plans on returning to the team in January. A statement from @UMDMensHockey junior defenseman Will Francis. At this time, Will is not available for any further comment. pic.twitter.com/WAld9QyRxC — UMD … Read more
Colorado College has announced that Emily West has joined the program as the director of hockey operations. West, a Colorado Springs native, returns to her hometown after serving as an assistant coach for the Ohio State women’s hockey program for three seasons. She helped lead the Buckeyes to their first NCAA Division I title in … Read more
Peter Mannino has been promoted to associate head coach of the Colorado College hockey team. Mannino, a former head coach in the USHL and starting goaltender for the 2005 NCAA Division I national champion Denver team, is entering his third season with the Tiger hockey program in 2023-24 after serving as an assistant coach for … Read more
Miami has announced that Jonathon Elliott has been promoted to the role of assistant coach. Elliott served as the RedHawks’ director of hockey operations during the 2022-23 season. “Jonathon did a good job in an operations role with our program for the past year,” said Miami head coach Chris Bergeron in a statement. “We are … Read more
Bennett Hambrook has been named a new assistant coach at Omaha. He has been serving as the Mavericks’ director of player development since June 2022. Hambrook spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach with Hamilton. Prior to coaching, Hambrook played collegiately at Hamilton, appearing in 69 games and compiling eight assists. He was … Read more