Suffolk has named longtime NHL player and Stanley Cup champion Shawn McEachern as the team’s new head coach.
McEachern becomes the squad’s first-ever full-time head coach after the position was elevated earlier this summer.
“I’m excited to announce Shawn as our first-ever full-time head coach of men’s hockey,” said Suffolk director of athletics Cary McConnell in a statement. “With Shawn’s experience, both as a high caliber player and coach, we firmly believe this marks a new era for our men’s hockey program at Suffolk and we’re excited to see what the future holds.
“We are thankful to the senior leadership at the university who shares in our vision and value of the richness of experience that a full-time coach can provide to a student-athlete’s education, on and off the playing service. This investment exemplifies the institutional value of the student-athlete experience.”
“I’m looking forward to joining the Suffolk University community as the head men’s hockey coach,” McEachern added. “I have high expectations for our program and I’m excited about working with the players. Our team will compete at a high level, be disciplined and respectful, and make the University and alumni proud.”
McEachern spent a decade on the Rivers School bench, an independent grade 6-12 prep school in Weston, Mass., as its head coach. From 2010 to 2020, he led the Red Wings to six Eberhart championships in the Independent School League, eight New England Tournament appearances and a pair of Elite 8 trips.
Before taking over at Rivers in 2010, McEachern served as an assistant coach at UMass Lowell (2008-10), Northeastern (2006-08) and Salem State (2004-06).
From 1988 to 1991, McEachern skated for Boston University where he led the team to back-to-back Frozen Fours with a championship game appearance in 1991. His player portfolio while in a BU sweater includes a first-team All-American honor in 1991. and a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award that same season after putting up 82 points, the second-highest single-season total in BU men’s hockey history at the time of his induction into the BU athletic hall of fame in 2008.
A draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1987, McEachern played 13 seasons in the NHL, including a pair of separate one-year stints with the Bruins and a 1992 Stanley Cup championship run with the Penguins. He made stops with the Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators and Atlanta Thrashers as well. He tallied 254 goals and 317 assists for 571 points in 911 NHL games.
On top of his collegiate and professional playing days, McEachern skated for the United States at the 1992 Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, France. He was also a member of the 1996 US World Cup championship team.