A big question I keep getting from hockey people: What're you hearing on Harvard? I find myself sending that question out to hockey people, too.
The Harvard men's hockey head coaching job is all the rage after Ted Donato announced he was stepping down from his post in mid-May.
Obviously, there are some big-time candidates interested.
Whoever is hired will have to juggle multiple big-time objectives. Harvard is a proud school with a rich hockey history. To keep the Crimson relevant, they must be on top of recruiting to an Ivy League school, while also navigating the ever-changing landscape of college hockey. The NCAA's new proposed 5-year eligibility rule will be top of mind.
Harvard also has a deep alumni network. Keeping them satisfied will be a large task in itself.
The next head coach will also need to hit the ground running. If the next head coach is announced in mid-June at the earliest, that coach will need to be in place at Harvard immediately. Most programs bring in first-year players during the summer. Donato picked out those first-year players, who may now be mulling their destination next season based on who the head coach is.
Harvard has been holding video meetings and interviewing candidates over the last two weeks, per multiple sources. Multiple sources have also indicated that the candidates should be narrowed down by Friday to move on to the next phase.
Regarding the timeline for picking a new head coach, recruits were told 4-6 weeks, which would end up being mid to late June. Other sources have indicated that sometime in mid to late June is likely when Harvard selects its next boss.
Here are some of the names I've heard of people who have interviewed. This is not necessarily all of the candidates. They're listed in alphabetical order by last name.
This is also how things stand now. These things can change quickly.
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Mike Ayers
Ayers is a very strong candidate. From Hingham, Mass., he's been an assistant coach at Boston College since 2013 and an associate head coach since 2020. A former goalie, he played his college hockey at UNH from 2000-04 before logging AHL, ECHL and pro league games overseas from 2004-08. He has experience recruiting and developing high-end talent at BC.
Jared DeMichiel
DeMichiel is one of the hottest names on the market for a head coaching job. Since 2022, he's been the associate head coach at Michigan State. He was an assistant at UMass for six seasons and won a national championship in 2020-21. Before that, he was an assistant at St. Lawrence for two years. From Avon, Conn., he played at Avon Old Farms and played four seasons as a goalie at RIT from 2006-10. He's known for his phenomenal recruiting and great relationships with players.
Juliano Pagliero
Pagliero is the current associate head coach at Penn State and has been with the Nittany Lions since 2021. He was around the Boston area from 2018-21, when he was an assistant coach at UMass Lowell, and was at Colgate as an assistant from 2015-18. He got his start coaching in Division 1 at Holy Cross from 2013-15. From Alberta, he was a goalie for Niagara from 2005-09.
Rob Rassey
Rassey is currently the associate head coach at Michigan, which is a position he's held since 2023. The big advantage he has on his resume is that he was an assistant at Harvard from 2013-19 before becoming an amateur scout for the NHL's Detroit Red Wings. The only guy among the candidates who isn't a former goalie, Rassey was a forward at Northeastern from 2005-09. The 41-year-old was also the general manager of the USHL's Omaha Lancers in 2021-22.
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Jason Tapp
Tapp is another top college head coaching candidate. The 48-year-old has been the associate head coach at Dartmouth since 2020. The big advantage he has on his resume is that he's been dealing with Ivy League recruiting for six seasons, which will be a big part of the Harvard job. Before Dartmouth, Tapp had been at Union as a volunteer goaltending coach (2009-11), goaltending coach (2011-12), assistant coach (2012-16) and associate head coach (2016-20). He was a goalie at Boston University from 1998-2002.
