Colgate has announced Chris Nell as the new assistant coach and director of hockey operations for the men’s hockey team.
Nell will serve as the Raiders’ goaltending coach.
“Chris has quickly worked his way up the goalie coaching ranks and we are very excited to have him on our staff,” Colgate head coach Mike Harder said in a statement. “His ability to teach the position, think through the game and push our student-athletes to get better every day will be a tremendous asset to our Colgate hockey community. His passion is both evident and contagious.”
Nell comes to Hamilton after serving as an assistant goalie coach with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL during the 2023-24 season.
He began his college coaching career at Marian, where he spent the last two years as goalie coach for both the men’s and women’s programs.
Nell played professional hockey from 2017 to 2022. He spent 110 games between the posts in the ECHL, posting a 3.33 goals-against average and .896 save percentage. Nell also posted a 3.18 goals-against average and .893 save percentage in 31 AHL games.
He played college hockey at Bowling Green. As a sophomore, Nell was selected to the WCHA first team after putting together one of the best seasons in program history. He set the Bowling Green records in goals-against average (1.91) and save percentage (.930) and posted a record of 18-11-6.
As a junior, Nell made 807 total saves and posted a 2.15 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. He finished first on the Bowling Green record list for career shutouts (11), career save percentage (.922) and career GAA (2.07).
Nell graduated from Wisconsin-Green Bay in 2022 with a BA in Organizational Leadership.
