Princeton University Men's Ice Hockey

Ben Syer has been named the 18th head coach of men’s hockey at Princeton University as announced by Ford Family Director of Athletics John Mack ‘00. A 25-year veteran behind the bench of Division I college hockey programs, Syer takes the reins of the program after recently concluding his 13th season overall at Cornell and his 12th as Associate Head Coach of the Big Red. His previous 12 seasons as a college coach came while serving as Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Quinnipiac from 1999-2011. In 2018, Syer was the recipient of the Terry Flanagan Award which is presented annually by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) to an assistant coach in recognition of his superior body of work over a career. “I am thrilled to welcome Ben and his family to Princeton and the men’s hockey program,” said Mack. “He has a proven track record of recruiting and developing student-athletes and positioning them for success on the ice and in the classroom. He has been part of championship teams throughout his entire coaching career, navigating one of the toughest conferences in college hockey year-in, year-out. Throughout this process, it was evident that Ben possesses the qualities we are looking for in a head men’s ice hockey coach at Princeton. He is a passionate recruiter, an innovative tactician and a commanding leader inside the locker room. Under his guidance, I am confident that Princeton’s best days on the ice are ahead of us.” Syer’s 13 seasons at Cornell incl

Ben Syer's first coaching staff has been finalized as he welcomes Connor Jones as an assistant coach while retaining Tommy Davis '17 and Shane Talarico on staff heading into the 2024-25 season. Connor Jones, a former NHL player with four years of professional hockey playing experience, joins the Tigers after spending the past two seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights as a scout focused on college free agents. In his first season with the Golden Knights. he was part of an executive group which guided Vegas to a Stanley Cup. In addition to his experience identifying and recruiting potential free agents for the Golden Knights, Jones has years of experience as an on-ice clinician as owner/operator of Champions Hockey School in British Columbia and also as a lead instructor with the Kurt Nichols Powerskating School in New York. Syer and Jones have an extensive history dating back to Jones' days playing for Quinnipiac where he was a four-year letterwinner and helped the Bobcats to the 2013 national title game. A two-time assistant captain while at Quinnipiac, Jones was recruited to Hamden by Syer while he was on staff at Quinnipiac and was coached by him during the 2010-11 season before Syer joined the coaching staff at Cornell. All total for his time as a Bobcat, Jones played in 153 college hockey games and tallied 129 points on 49 goals and 83 assists. He was named Quinnipiac's male student-athlete of the year in 2011 and was also a Dean's List student. He graduated with a degree

Dan Henningson joins the Princeton Tigers as an assistant coach heading into the 2025-26 season as announced by head coach Ben Syer. Henningson and Syer's relationship goes back almost two decades as Henningson was recruited by Syer while on staff at Quinnipiac University. A steady, two-way defenseman, Henningson appeared in 150 games for the Bobcats from 2005 to 2009, recording 67 points (12 goals, 55 assists). He was twice named team MVP and served as assistant captain his junior year and team captain his senior year. Following the Bobcats' 2008-09 season, Henningson signed an ATO with Colorado's AHL Affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters. At the time, he was the fifth Quinnipiac hockey player to sign with an AHL club in program history and he went on to a four-year professional hockey career that included stops in the AHL and ECHL. In 2009-10, Henningson signed with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. He spent time in the ECHL with the Wheeling Nailers, where he was named team captain and MVP, and posted a +19 rating. He also played for the Chicago Express and had AHL call-ups with Rockford and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Henningson ended his professional career in the AHL with the Binghamton Senators in 2012. Following his playing career, Henningson transitioned into coaching, joining the Jersey Hitmen organization. Since 2017, he has served as a head coach and skills director within the organization, including coaching the 16U and 18U teams which consistently rank top 2

Shane Talarico enters his second season as an assistant coach with Princeton men's ice hockey in 2023-24. Talarico joined the Tigers from Cornell where he mo...