Colgate University Athletics

Coach Vaughan announced the addition of Brett Riley as an assistant coach of the men's hockey program prior to the 2019-20 campaign. Riley joins the Raiders after leading the inaugural men's hockey program at Wilkes University.
 
"I would like to welcome Brett Riley to the Raider Hockey family," Coach Vaughan said. "The Riley name is synonymous with US College Hockey and Brett is ready to make his own mark on this great game. He is a proven recruiter with a great eye for identifying talent and with what he did at The Albany Academy and Wilkes University it's very obvious he can coach too. Brett solely recruited the first ever men's hockey team at Wilkes and in his first year behind the bench the team went 16-8-2 earning him the conference Coach of the Year."
 
While serving as head coach at Wilkes University, Riley's team ranked 14th in the country in scoring offense and third overall in most shorthanded goals scored. Named United Collegiate Hockey Conference Coach of the Year, Riley led three players to All-MAC accolades, a Rookie of the Year honoree, and to a collective team GPA of 3.44. In addition to the program's successful 16-8-2 overall record, Wilkes was a standout in Division III hockey by consistently receiving Top-15 national rankings throughout the season.
 
"I would like to thank Coach Vaughan for this great opportunity," Riley said. "I am excited to get on campus and join the Colgate community. I look forward to working with the student-athletes and staff to make a positive impact both on and off the ice."
 
Prior to his time at Wilkes University, Riley was a three-year head coach at the Albany Academy, where his teams reached historic records highlighted with 2017 NEPSAC Large School Runner-Up accolades. Under Riley's guidance the program was pre-season ranked, hosted and won a semifinal game, and competed in the Large School NEPSAC Championship for the first time in school history. Riley also served as the head strength and conditioning coach while at the academy. 
 
"His ability to recruit, develop, and mentor quality student athletes will serve him well here at Colgate," Coach Vaughan added. "He is committed to finding student-athletes of great character and is committed to helping those individuals reach their full potential. Dana Borges and I could not be more excited to start working with Brett."
 
Riley also founded and maintained operations of GEN3 Hockey, an elite youth hockey program dedicated to teaching, motivating and improving the hockey experience of young athletes. The program includes on and off ice coaching and training and has grown from three teams and 70 players in 2010 to 42 teams and 855 players to date. It has also developed 12 NHL draft picks further extending the reach of influence over players at all levels. Riley also served as a player consultant at GDA Hockey, where he identified high-level NCAA prospects and built relationships in the New England area.
 
No stranger to the rink as a third generation hockey coach, Riley's father Rob served as head coach at Army West Point for 19 years and is currently an amateur scout for the NHL's Buffalo Sabres. Jack Riley, Brett's grandfather, also coached at Army for more than 35 years after coaching the United States to the gold medal at the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics.

A native of South Hamilton, Massachusetts, Riley graduated from Hobart College in 2014 with a bachelor's in history where he was a three-time ECAC West All-Academic Team selection in his four-year career with the Statesmen.