Paul Pooley 2023-24 Hockey Staff

Paul Pooley returns for his 19th season at the University of Notre Dame as the team’s associate head coach in 2023-24. He was named to the position on June 3, 2005, by head coach Jeff Jackson.

In 18 seasons at Notre Dame, Pooley, along with Jackson and fellow associate head coach Andy Slaggert, has helped build Notre Dame hockey into a national power. Pooley has seen Notre Dame win three regular season titles (two CCHA and one Big Ten) and five conference tournament crowns (CCHA in 2007, 2009, 2013 and Big Ten in 2018 and 2019) while advancing to the NCAA tournament 12 times (2007-09, 2011, 2013-14, 2016-19 and 2021-22), including four trips to the Frozen Four (2008, 2011, 2017 and 2018).

It is Pooley’s second tour of duty serving as Jackson’s associate head coach. During Pooley’s first stint, at Lake Superior State (1992-94), he was instrumental in the Lakers’ success as they advanced to the NCAA finals three times, winning in 1992 and 1994.

Pooley is involved in all aspects of the Notre Dame program and is stationed with the forwards during most games. He helps run Notre Dame’s powerplay unit with the Fighting Irish finished the 2021-22 season with the nation’s top-ranked penalty kill (.906), which also marked the top single-season penalty kill percentage in program history.

On the defensive side, Pooley has helped Notre Dame to the top-five fewest goals per game totals in program history including 2006-07 (1.63), 2008-09 (1.71), 2021-22 (2.03), 2007-08 (2.10) and 2013-14 (2.12).

Many of Pooley’s players have gone on to sign professional contracts, while Anders Bjork, Cal Burke, Ian Cole, Jake Evans, Stephen Johns, Wes O’Neill, Robbie Russo, Spencer Stastney, Jordan Gross, TJ Tynan, Anders Lee, Vinnie Hinostroza, Riley Sheahan, Bryan Rust, Eric Condra and Andrew Peeke each reached the NHL. Kyle Lawson was named a second-team CCHA all-star and the league’s best defensive defenseman (2008-09); Cole was a first-team all-star in the same year while taking first team All-America honors and in 2011; Sean Lorenz was honored as the CCHA’s top defensive defenseman; and Johns was a second-team all-Hockey East choice. Russo was a first team All-Hockey East selection and went on to earn second-team All-America honors in 2015, while Jordan Gross earned Second Team Hockey East All-Star honors in 2016 as a sophomore. Gross earned Hockey East Honorable Mention All-Star honors in 2017 and then garnered First Team Big Ten honors in 2018. In 2016-17, Dennis Gilbert was selected as the ’47 Brand Best Defensive Defenseman in Hockey East while then-freshman defenseman Andrew Peeke was named to the Pro Ambitions All-Rookie Team. In 2019-20, Bobby Nardella became the first defenseman to lead the Irish in scoring (8-26-34 points) and went on to earn CCM/AHCA All-America honors (Second Team West). Most recently, Spencer Stastney earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors in 2021 and then signed with the Nashville Predators following his senior season in 2021-22. Stastney had a breakout year offensively as senior, posting career-high marks for goals (7), assists (20) and points (27).

In making the announcement of Pooley’s hiring, Jackson said, “Paul Pooley brings a certain level of integrity, work ethic and professionalism that I have great respect for. Our relationship in the past became a friendship, but our experience in the past will stay in the past. We’re hoping to re-establish a new center of excellence similar to the one that we had at Lake Superior State together.”

The veteran coach joined the Irish staff after spending 11 seasons (1994-2005) as head coach at Providence College. During those 11 seasons, Pooley’s Friars were a combined 185-187-40, winning the Hockey East title in 1995-96 and appearing in two NCAA tournaments (1996 and 2001). The 2001 Hockey East and New England Coach of the Year and a two-time finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award as the national coach of the year, Pooley was instrumental in the development of four All-America players during his tenure at Providence — forwards Chad Quenneville and Devin Rask, goaltender Nolan Schaefer and defenseman Stephen Wood. Six players who played for him with the Friars — Hal Gill, Joe Hulbig, Fernando Pisani, Mike Farrell, Jon DiSalvatore and Schaefer — went on to play in the National Hockey League.

A 1984 Ohio State graduate (cum laude in accounting and marketing), Pooley got his start in college coaching at his alma mater, serving as an assistant to Jerry Welsh with the Buckeyes for three seasons (1988-91) following the end of his professional career. No stranger to the CCHA, Pooley was one of the conference’s top players from 1980-84 and was a second-team selection to the conference’s all-decade team of the 1980’s. A three-time member of the CCHA’s all-academic team, he took Academic All-America honors in 1984. A second-team all-CCHA selection in 1981, he also was selected as the CCHA’s co-Rookie of the Year that season. Pooley capped his brilliant Ohio State career in 1984 as he was selected as the CCHA Player of the Year and Bauer’s National Player of the Year, leading the nation in scoring with 32 goals and 64 assists for 96 points in 41 games. Selected first-team all-CCHA and first team All-America as a senior, Pooley is Ohio State’s all-time leader in goals (114), assists (156) and points (270) and joined the Ohio State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.

He became the first Ohio State hockey player to have his number retired on November 4, 2006 during a game between Notre Dame and the Buckeyes. A native of Exeter, Ontario, Pooley signed with the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets following his collegiate career and played two seasons with the Jets’ top farm team, the Sherbrooke Canadiens of the American Hockey League, playing on a Calder Cup championship team in 1985. He moved on to play one season with the Fort Wayne Komets of the International Hockey League where he was co-captain of a Komet team that won the 1987 regular-season championship.

In his three seasons as a pro, Pooley played in 15 NHL games with the Jets. He retired in 1987 to go into private business with his twin brother, Perry, also an Ohio State hockey All-American.

Pooley and his wife, Kelly, have two children: Scott, who played college hockey at Holy Cross and now plays professionally in Europe, and Taylor, who played women’s soccer at Ball State.