It's been a busy offseason with the boys prep hockey coaching carousel. On Thursday, it got even busier. Taft, in an email to the school community, announced that boys head coach Ryan Shannon would step down from his post at the end of this academic year. "Ryan's impact on Taft hockey and on the many...
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It's been a busy offseason with the boys prep hockey coaching carousel. On Thursday, it got even busier.
Taft, in an email to the school community, announced that boys head coach Ryan Shannon would step down from his post at the end of this academic year.
"Ryan's impact on Taft hockey and on the many students he had coached is profound," Taft athletic director Andy Dunn said in the email.
Shannon has been Taft's head coach since 2016-17. In his first season, Shannon helped the Rhinos bounce back from a nine-win season the year before to a 15-8-1 season, along with a Large School tournament spot.
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The highlight of his tenure was going 20-8-0 in 2022-23 and leading Taft to a thrilling overtime win over Salisbury in the Large School championship game.
"Nine years at Taft have shaped me in ways I will always carry with me — as an educator, a coach and a person," Shannon said in the email. "I am deeply grateful to the students, families, colleagues and administrators who made this place feel like home. The relationships I've built and the young people I've had the privilege of working with will always be a source of pride."
Shannon, a Darien, Conn., native, played at Taft from 1997-2001. He followed that up with a standout career at Boston College, where he put up 150 points in 154 games from 2001-05.
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Shannon spent all of 2005-06 with the AHL's Portland Pirates, putting up 86 points in 71 games. He won a Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks the following season.
From 2007-12, Shannon played for the NHL's Vancouver Canucks, Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning, as well as the AHL's Manitoba Moose and Binghampton Senators.
He finished his career with the ZSC Lions in the National League, which is the highest league in Switzerland.
Taft will immediately begin a national search for its next head coach, according to the email.
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"We are committed to identifying a leader who will build on the strength of our program," Dunn said. "And continue to support the growth of our student-athletes."
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