There’s a lot to report in the openings for various assistant coaching positions around the country in college hockey.
Alabama-Huntsville, Alaska-Fairbanks, American International, Army West Point, Dartmouth, Colgate, Long Island University, Mercyhurst, Minnesota Duluth, Robert Morris, Union, Vermont and Yale all have openings currently. With some of the rumored hires, other schools soon will have jobs to fill as well.
There’s been a lot of turmoil surrounding the program at Alabama-Huntsville. The Chargers are out of a conference after this season with seven of the WCHA programs leaving to form the CCHA. Further, it was announced that Alabama-Huntsville would be dropping its hockey program. A fundraising campaign that raised more than $500,000 saved the program for now, but two of its coaches left.
Head coach Mike Corbett and assistant coach Gavin Morgan both resigned. Alum Lance West was elevated to acting head coach. According to two sources, Karlis Zirnis will be brought in to be an associate head coach.
Zirnis, a 2003 alum of UAH, has been an assistant coach at Alaska-Fairbanks the past two seasons. Prior to that, he was the head coach of the Shreveport Mudbugs in the NAHL. West was an assistant for UAH while Zirnis was on the team. They also have somewhat of a connection at UAF as West previously worked for the Nanooks.
With Zirnis joining UAH, Alaska-Fairbanks head coach Erik Largen will be looking for a new assistant coach. Largen should be commended for the job he’s done in Fairbanks, especially given the tenuous circumstances of budget cuts and losing a conference after this season.
Army searching for assistant
Army head coach Brian Riley is again looking for an assistant coach. The Black Knights were set to hire a Division 3 head coach as one of the program’s assistants last summer, but there were problems with his visa. 2019 alum Dalton MacAfee stepped in and served as an assistant this past season, but he is moving on. There isn’t much to report on who could fill that void.
Cashman parts way with assistants
Newly hired head coach Reid Cashman isn’t wasting any time in putting his stamp on the program at Dartmouth. According to multiple sources, both assistants, Dave Lassonde and John Rose, have been told they are not being retained.
Those same sources indicate that Cashman will turn to a pair of assistant coaches from within ECAC Hockey. It’s believed that Union associate head coach Jason Tapp will be one of the new assistants. The other name that is being bandied about is Princeton assistant Stavros Paskaris.
Colgate looking to replace Riley
After assistant coach Brett Riley left to take the head coaching position at upstart Long Island University, Colgate head coach Don Vaughan is looking to round out his staff. One name that has been mentioned a few times is Niagara assistant Andy Boschetto, the former Salve Regina head coach and Suffolk alum. He’s been with Jason Lammers at Niagara for the past three seasons after leading Salve to unprecedented success.
Update on LIU
Riley will need to hire two assistant coaches to round out his staff of the new program at Long Island University. One name rumored to be involved is Union College volunteer assistant Will Messa. He has experience as an intern assistant under Jeff Jackson at Notre Dame and as a grad assistant at Northeastern. The Worcester, Mass., native played prep hockey at Lawrence Academy and was on the roster at Northeastern from 2013-16. The other assistant is likely to be someone with ties to the Long Island area.
Riley already has done a terrific job in scheduling, as the Sharks will square off against Boston College, Boston University and UMass Lowell. A couple of other Hockey East and Big Ten schools are possible additions. Considering the late start, Riley's first recruiting class is coming together nicely.
Rose makes sense at Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst head coach Rick Gotkin is in need of a new assistant coach after Tommy Upton left to become head coach of the USHL’s Madison Capitols. One possible replacement could be Rose, who as mentioned above was recently let go as an assistant at Dartmouth. Rose kicked off his college coaching résumé as a volunteer assistant at Mercyhurst from 2004-06.
Plante likely to return at UMD
Former Minnesota Duluth captain and assistant coach Derek Plante could be returning to the Bulldogs, according to one source. While not confirmed, it is a plausible hire for head coach Scott Sandelin. Plante, a native of Cloquet, Minn., was an assistant from 2009 through 2015 before taking a job in player development with the Chicago Blackhawks. Plante was a star at UMD before embarking on a lengthy NHL career, mostly with the Buffalo Sabres.
Minnesota Duluth, the two-time defending NCAA champion, had to fill the void for longtime assistant Jason Herter, who resigned earlier this offseason.
Robert Morris set to hire Durocher, Corbett
It is believed that Robert Morris head coach Derek Schooley will hire Sioux City Musketeers assistant coach Ryan Durocher and former Alabama-Huntsville head coach Corbett as his program’s new assistant coaches. Durocher is a SUNY-Cortland alum who previously has been an assistant coach at Southern New Hampshire and director of hockey ops at St. Lawrence. Corbett and Schooley have a connection, as their times as assistant coaches at Air Force overlapped.
The Colonials were looking for two assistants after Michael Gershon and Ryan Cruthers left. Gershon is the new head coach at Division 3 Chatham University while Cruthers’ next landing spot is still to be determined.
Wiedler could be UVM assistant
According to sources with knowledge of the situation, American International assistant Steve Wiedler is likely to be hired by Todd Woodcroft as an assistant coach at Vermont. Wiedler would round out the Catamounts staff, as Woodcroft opted to retain alum and assistant coach Jeff Hill.
If Wiedler does take the Vermont job, a possible replacement for him at AIC could be Connecticut College alum and current assistant coach Joe Giordano.
All quiet on Yale search
There’s not much information out there on who could be the new assistant coach at Yale. I can’t confirm if it is still this way, but there was a hiring freeze at Yale, due to the coronavirus.
