Rassey Returns: Former Assistant Named as the Head Coach of Harvard Men’s Hockey

Less than two months after the departure of former men’s ice hockey head coach Ted Donato ’91 – the winningest coach in the history of the men’s hockey program – Harvard Athletic Director Erin McDermott has named Rob Rassey as the new Head Coach of the men’s hockey team.

Rassey’s new role marks his return to the Crimson’s hockey program. From 2013 to 2019, Rassey worked under Donato as an assistant coach. Throughout his six seasons at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center, Rassey helped the team earn four NCAA Tournament appearances, one Beanpot Championship, and two ECAC Championship titles.

He also coached Hobey Baker winner Jimmy Vesey ’16, the NHL Norris Trophy recipient Adam Fox ’21, and both Alex Kerfoot ’17 and John Marino ’20 of the Utah Mammoth.

Prior to announcing his return to Cambridge, Rassey served as the Associate Head Coach at the University of Michigan, where he had worked since 2022. He was promoted in Ann Arbor, Mich., after just one season with the team.

This past season, he helped spur the Wolverines to an NCAA Frozen Four appearance and a Big Ten Tournament Championship. The Michigan team finished its campaign ranked first in the nation on the power play and featured the highest scoring offense in Division I hockey.

Before working with the Wolverines, Rassey was the head coach of the USHL junior hockey teams the Sioux Falls Stampede and the Omaha Lancers, where he also served as general manager. After leaving his first position with the Crimson, Rassey spent two seasons as an NHL Scout for the Detroit Red Wings.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted Harvard’s season in 2020, the team has struggled to return to its historic greatness despite a roster bolstered by many talented skaters. Although Donato clearly had a knack for developing young student-athletes into successful professional players across his 22-year tenure, the 1989 National Champion and NCAA Tournament MVP was unable to hoist the trophy again as a coach.

Under Donato’s tutelage, Harvard reached the Frozen Four once and secured five ECAC Tournament Championships and four Ivy League titles over the same span. On the other hand, the Cornell Big Red has won six of the last eight Ivy titles, including this past season. Additionally, Dartmouth clinched the 2025 Ivy title and proceeded to sweep the Crimson in regular-season play this year. After the conclusion of its season, Harvard had just one First Team All-Ivy selection on its roster: rising senior defenseman Matthew Morden. Meanwhile, the Big Green boasted the Ivy League Player of the Year for the second straight season.

Rassey, therefore, is inheriting a program facing increased competition within its own conference. Luckily, the new head coach will not be short on talent. Harvard’s roster includes the powerful forward line of rising sophomores Heikki Ruohonen, Richard Gallant, and Aidan Lane. The three forwards combined for 49 points and were three of the team’s top six scorers. As he looks to restore the Crimson to national contender status, Rassey will likely lean on his younger players to build a foundation for the team in the seasons to come.

—Staff writer Nate M. Bolan can be reached at [email protected].