University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Men's Ice Hockey

Golden Gopher hockey alumnus Ben Gordon begins his ninth year behind the bench as an assistant coach for the Maroon and Gold in 2026-27, a role he took on starting in 2018. It will be his first season on the staff with new Head Coach Brett Larson. Under Gordon's guidance, Minnesota made a fifth-consecutive postseason trip and won its third Big Ten Conference regular season championship in a four-year span during the 2024-25 campaign. The Gophers were well represented on the Big Ten Conference postseason awards list as seven different players were honored along with AHCA/CCM Hockey All-Americans Sam Rinzel (First Team) and Jimmy Snuggerud (Second Team). It was a banner year for Minnesota in 2022-23 as the team won its second-straight B1G regular season title and earned a trip to the NCAA Championship game. The Gophers were the highest-scoring offense in the nation, averaging 4.2 goals per game, and had a pair of 50-point freshmen in Logan Cooley and Snuggerud leading the charge. Cooley and Matthew Knies were named Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalists, while Brock Faber joined the pair as All-American First Team selections, the second time in program history with three first-team honorees. During the 2021-22 campaign, Gordon and the Gophers won the B1G regular season championship and advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four for the first time since 2014. Minnesota made a late-season surge winning 11 of their final 13 games, including wins over Massachusetts and Western Michigan in the NCAA

Cory Laylin joined the Minnesota men's hockey staff in March 2026, taking over as an assistant coach at his alma mater. He returns to campus after serving in an assistant coaching role at St. Thomas for the past five seasons. A native of St. Cloud, Minn., he enjoyed a standout career for the Golden Gophers from 1988-92 where he posted 107 points on 58 goals and 49 assists across 170 career appearances, reaching the NCAA Tournament all four seasons. As a freshman, Minnesota lost to Harvard in overtime in the national championship game. He went on to play 16 professional seasons throughout Europe and North America until retiring in 2007-08. Following his playing career, Laylin served as an assistant coach at Hamline University for two seasons (2008-10). He went on to become a head coach at the high school, college, juniors, pro and international levels over the next 11 years, including seven seasons leading the Pipers from 2014 to 2021. Laylin then joined the Tommies for their inaugural NCAA Division I campaign in 2021-22. That St. Thomas squad finished with just three wins before improving to 11 wins the next year and defeated all seven CCHA opponents at least once during the 2022-23 campaign. Under his efforts with head coach Rico Blasi, the Tommies increased their win total each of the last three seasons. That led to their first-ever 20-win campaign in 2025-26, going 21-12-5 overall, finishing second in the CCHA regular season before falling in the CCHA title game. At the in

Jacob LeRoy enters his sixth season as the Director of Hockey Operations for the Golden Gopher men's hockey program in 2026-27 and first with Head Coach Brett Larson after joining the Maroon and Gold in August 2021. LeRoy is vital to the Minnesota program as he handles all video efforts from film breakdown, scouting, and video sessions to in-game support and technical management. He also takes care of all logistical work relating to travel, meals, and day-to-day operations. Minnesota won back-to-back Big Ten Conference regular season championships in LeRoy's first two seasons serving on staff, including a record-breaking 2022-23 campaign. The Gophers won 19 league games and had 57 points, both of which remain the most in the 12-year history of men's hockey in the Big Ten. The 'U' also advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four in his first two years and earned a spot in the 2023 NCAA Championship game. Minnesota went on to reach the NCAA Tournament in each of the next two seasons and added the program's seventh conference title during the 2024-25 campaign. LeRoy expanded his versatility this past season as he was named the video coach for USA Hockey at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. He joined head coach Bob Motzko's staff for the international event that was hosted in Minneapolis (3M Arena at Mariucci) and St. Paul (Grand Casino Arena). A native of Dublin, Ohio, LeRoy previously spent four seasons on the staff at Ohio State serving as a student assistant of hockey operations.

Three-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Cullen joined the coaching staff for the Minnesota men's hockey team in April of 2026, taking on the role of Director of...

Golden Gopher hockey All-American alumnus and 14-year NHL veteran Paul Martin is in his seventh year on the Minnesota staff and moves into an assistant coaching role for the 2026-27 campaign under new Head Coach Brett Larson. He returned to the Maroon and Gold as an undergraduate student assistant for the 2020-21 season, completing his bachelor's and master's degrees, and spent the previous three years as the team's Director of Player Development. In 2026, Martin was inducted into the Minnesota State High School League's Hall of Fame. In his first season back on campus, Martin helped Minnesota win the 2021 Big Ten Tournament title and return to the NCAA Tournament. The Gophers then claimed back-to-back B1G regular season championships and made consecutive trips to the NCAA Frozen Four, including a spot in the 2023 NCAA Championship game. The 'U' added another regular season title in league play during the 2024-25 season, it's record seventh in the 12-year history of the league, to go with a fifth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. A native of Elk River, Minn., Martin was a three-year letter winner for the Maroon and Gold while recording 97 points (20 goals, 77 assists) in 127 career games. The defenseman, who was an all-conference selection in each of his three seasons of college hockey, helped the Gophers to three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances including back-to-back national championships in 2002 and 2003. Martin, who won the Broadmoor Trophy with Minnesota in 2003