Great Lakes Wire

Northern Michigan head hockey coach Dave Shyiak has announced the hiring of Ben Russell as an assistant coach for the 2024-25 season.

"We are really excited about Ben joining our staff and community," said Shyiak. "He grew up in the U.P. and understands the history and tradition of Wildcat hockey. Ben is an up-and-coming young coach bringing a unique set of skills to our group. He's organized, detailed, and has a tireless work ethic that will help in our recruiting efforts. Ben did an outstanding job working with the goaltenders at Cornell, and that will be one of his roles here at NMU."

Russell has spent the past two seasons with Cornell, including one season as an assistant coach and two seasons as the director of hockey operations. He graduated from Cornell in 2020, where he served all four years of his undergraduate studies as an assistant director of hockey operations, coordinating video, analyzing film, preparing scouting reports, and incorporating advanced analytics into game preparation.

Before returning to East Hill, Russell spent two seasons on the staff at St. Olaf College under head coach Eddie Effinger. During his tenure there, he helped lead the team to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) tournament title and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021-22 with one of the youngest rosters in collegiate hockey.

In addition to his coaching experience, Russell has interned with the American Hockey League's Syracuse Crunch and USA Hockey. His involvement included serving as an assistant coach at the 2023 USA Hockey BioSteel Boys 17 National Festival in Amherst, N.Y.

Russell holds a degree in industrial and labor relations with a minor in business from Cornell University.