Carvel guided UMass to its first NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey National Championship in 2020-21.

“As I played the game, I don’t think I ever thought I was going to coach the game at the college level…I thought I wanted to be an administrator…luckily I didn’t do that because I realize now it’s much more fun to coach than to be an administrator.”

There was never a moment when Greg Carvel was bit by the coaching bug, but the 51-year-old from Canton, New York, sure is glad how his career turned out. Carvel, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1991 NHL Supplemental Draft, just wrapped up his sixth season as head coach of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Minutemen. He was the head coach of the St. Lawrence University of the ECAC for five seasons before that, which came after seven years as an NHL assistant coach (one year with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, six with the Ottawa Senators).

“I never had a longterm goal, it was always to work hard, create opportunities for myself and make good decisions for myself and my family.”

Those good decisions led him to the Minutemen, and in just his third season behind the bench, Carvel captured the Spencer Penrose Award as Division I Men’s Coach of the Year. He followed that up by guiding UMass to its first NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey National Championship in 2020-21.

Carvel has been in hockey for nearly 25 years and is a wealth of knowledge, so there’s no one better to learn from than him. That was what ESPN broadcaster John Buccigross was tasked with in their sit-down together: glean every nugget of valuable coaching advice Carvel has to offer, to help members of The Coaches Site improve their coaching.

Bucci succeeded with flying colours. 

You’ll become a fan of both during this 44-minute video from our Virtual Coaching Clinic.