Who could be the next Harvard head coach?
Plus: Brown is closing in on a new assistant, Clarkson and BU are opting into the House settlement, LIU hit with NCAA sanctions, and hockey graduation rates
Ted Donato is stepping down as Harvard’s head coach at the end of the academic year, the program announced Thursday afternoon. The Crimson said they will begin a national search for a new head coach immediately.
“It is with immense gratitude that I have decided to end my tenure at Harvard as head coach of the Men’s Hockey program,” Donato said. “I am proud and grateful for all the incredible moments, everlasting memories, and relationships from my 27 years connected to the University as a student-athlete, coach, and parent.
“I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to work with such talented and driven student-athletes and staff of the highest character. With the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, I believe it is the right time to pass the torch to the next leader of the Harvard Men’s Hockey program.”
Rumblings about Donato’s departure had been circulating among coaches and agents for nearly two weeks. On April 25, College Hockey Insider first heard that Donato had been in conversations with NHL teams about potential scouting roles.
Despite multiple coaches and agents “hearing” that he was leaving Harvard, they were all second or third-hand accounts, and we couldn’t independently verify the information.
There were other signs. Most notably, assistant coach James Marcou took the open assistant position at UMass. Harvard’s other assistant, Matt Gilroy, is reportedly in the mix for another job as well. Sources in the coaching industry considered it “telling” that Harvard had not moved to replace Marcou. Many believed it validated the growing sense that Donato was on his way out.
Now we know why there wasn’t much movement on replacing Marcou.
It’s possible Harvard began conducting due diligence on potential candidates over the past two weeks, which could mean this hiring process moves quickly. Given where we are on the calendar, that wouldn’t be surprising in the least.
Harvard has a rich list of hockey alumni. Not many have gone into coaching, but several have carved out prominent roles in NHL front offices. Those connections could open the door to some outside-the-box candidates.
Here’s a look at 18 candidates who could be next in line to lead the Crimson:
