UConn adds Ryan Shannon to coaching staff

For the first time in almost a decade, UConn men’s hockey will have someone with NHL experience on staff. On Tuesday, head coach Mike Cavanaugh revealed that Ryan Shannon will serve as the program’s new director of player development.

Shannon and Cavanaugh overlapped at Boston College from 2001-05, where Shannon was a two-time All-American and Cavanaugh was an assistant on Jerry York’s staff. The forward went on to play six seasons in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning, winning a Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2007.

More recently, Shannon was the head coach at the Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut — his alma mater — from 2017-26. The Darien, Connecticut native will be the first director of player development under Cavanaugh at UConn.

Of the last six Huskies to reach the NHL, five have either been seventh-round draft picks or undrafted players. Chase Bradley and Ryan Tverberg are two of just eight seventh-rounders from the 2020 draft to appear in an NHL game, while Arsenii Sergeev is one of six seventh-rounders from 2021 to make it to the league. Meanwhile, Marc Gatcomb and Viking Gustafsson Nyberg have both suited up in NHL games despite going undrafted.

Cavanaugh believes Shannon will help continue that trend.

“One of the things that we take a lot of pride in here at UConn is we've had a lot of guys who have been late-round draft picks or undrafted… getting games in the NHL,” Cavanaugh said. “I think we're doing a pretty good job of developing those players who aren't your first-round draft pick, can't-miss prospects. One of the reasons why I hired Ryan — besides what a tenacious competitor he was — is because he came from that same development [path]: Not drafted, wasn't highly recruited, had a great four-year career at BC and then turned it into a professional career afterwards.”

Before Shannon, the only other member of Cavanaugh’s coaching staff at UConn with NHL experience was Andrew Raycroft, who served as the volunteer goaltending coach from 2014-17. Shannon is the second coaching hire of the offseason for Cavanaugh, who brought in Sean Walsh as an assistant coach to replace Nick Peruzzi.

Walsh is the son of legendary Maine head coach Shawn Walsh, a two-time national champion who passed away from cancer at age 46 back in 2003.

“I coached against his dad for years, and I was telling him a story about his dad the other day,” Cavanaugh said. “Sean was only two when his dad unfortunately passed, and it's hard to believe it's been 25 years since he passed. But we had some major battles against him and he was an unbelievable coach, a great motivator. I think Sean's passion for the game, he got from his dad. There's no question about that. It's been fun to be around him. He's got a lot of energy.”

Cavanaugh is set to begin his 14th season in charge at UConn. In addition to Walsh and Shannon, the rest of his staff includes associate head coach Tyler Helton and assistant coach Alex Westlund.

Helton is the longest-tenured member of the program, beating out Cavanaugh himself. He arrived in Storrs as a freshman defenseman in 2012 but was cut when Cavanaugh arrived in 2013. Helton stayed on as a student assistant until he completed his undergraduate degree in 2016, then served as a graduate assistant for two years. In 2018, he was finally elevated to a full assistant position to replace Brendan Buckley, who left for Boston College. Helton became the associate head coach ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.

Meanwhile, Westlund is entering his second season in charge of the Huskies’ goaltending. A net-minder for Yale in the late '90s, he spent three years as the goalie coach for the Detroit Red Wings before coming to UConn in 2025.