Matt Hoover

Biography

Matt Hoover returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach in July 2024, working with the team's forwards and penalty kill unit. Prior to joining the Griffs coaching staff, he was active in the youth hockey scene in the greater Buffalo region, serving as a player development coach for the LECOM Harborcenter Academy of Hockey and as an assistant coach with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres U14 AAA program. As a player, Hoover appeared in 148 games for the Golden Griffins during his four seasons (2016-20), registering 47 goals and 52 assists for 99 career points. He served as team captain for the 2019-20 season and garnered All-AHA Second Team accolades after finishing with 32 points, tied for the team lead. He was a three-time AHA All-Academic Team honoree and graduated with a bachelor's degree in business in 2020. Hoover played as a freshman on the 2016-17 squad that claimed the program's first Atlantic Hockey regular season championship and became the first freshman in more than 10 seasons to record a hat trick. He later joined the Utah Grizzles of the ECHL for the 2020-21 season, appearing in 56 games. A native of Brantford, Ontario, his father Ron was drafted by the Hartford Whalers and played professional hockey for nine seasons.