Program’s All-Time Leading Scorer, Played From 1996-2001
CHN Staff Report
Yale has officially named Jeff Hamilton its new head coach, as first reported by College Hockey News on Monday.
Hamilton is the program’s all-time leading scorer with 174 points in 127 games. He had 80 goals and 94 assists, playing from 1996-2001. Hamilton went on to play 157 NHL games, the sixth-most of any Yale alum.
Though a distinguished alum, Hamilton has little coaching experience. He’s been running the Connecticut Jr. Rangers program. Three of those years, 2021-24, he spent as head coach. The program lists numerous other Yale hockey alums in its coaching roster.
“I am thrilled that Jeff will be returning to the Whale to lead our storied men’s ice hockey program,” Yale athletic director Vicky Chun said. “His deep understanding of Yale, combined with his experience and leadership, makes him the ideal person to guide us forward.”
Hamilton also is founder of the venture capital firm Seven7, which includes NHL Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis and another former Yale player, Keith McCullough, as co-founders. Another alum, Daryl Jones, is an executive there, and he and McCullough once owned a piece of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes.
St. Louis also spent time coaching the Jr. Rangers, and interestingly also went from little coaching experience to his current role as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens.
The job has been open since Keith Allain stepped down last August. Given that it was so close to school starting, Yale named then-assistant Joe Howe as the interim coach. Yale went 8-22-1 this past season.
Yale was last over .500 in 2015-16, which is also the last season the team made the NCAA Tournament. That was the end of a wildly successful period in Yale history, six NCAA Tournament appearances in eight seasons, including the 2013 national championship. Prior to that, Yale had only made the NCAAs twice — in 1998, Hamilton’s sophomore season, and 1952.
Â