Ron Rolston
Ronald Rolston (born October 14, 1966)[1] is an American ice hockey coach who is currently Associate Head Coach at Providence College. He was previously the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League.
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Associate Head Coach |
| Team | Providence |
| Conference | Hockey East |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | October 14, 1966 Fenton, Michigan, USA |
| Alma mater | Michigan Technological University |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1990-1995 | Lake Superior State (assistant) |
| 1996-1999 | Clarkson (assistant) |
| 1999-2002 | Harvard (assistant) |
| 2002-2004 | Boston College (assistant) |
| 2004-2011 | U.S. NTDP |
| 2011-2013 | Rochester Americans |
| 2013 | Buffalo Sabres |
| 2014-2015 | Arizona Coyotes (scout) |
| 2015-2016 | Springfield Falcons |
| 2017- present | Providence (AHC) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| NCAA National Championships in 1992 and 1994 with Lake Superior State University, (3) gold and (1) silver medal at the IIHF U-18 Championships, 2011 Bob Johnson Award recipient, which recognizes excellence in international competition during a season | |
He has served as head coach of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program and was an assistant hockey coach at Boston College, Harvard University, Clarkson University, and Lake Superior State University, as well as head coach of the AHL team, the Rochester Americans.
On February 20, 2013, Rolston was named as the interim head coach of the Sabres, replacing Lindy Ruff, for the remainder of the 2012–13 season.[2] On May 7, 2013, the Sabres announced they were removing the interim tag from Rolston and officially named him the 16th head coach in franchise history.[3] Amid poor performance at the start of the 2013-14 season and a change in direction by ownership, the Sabres dismissed Rolston from his post on November 13, 2013. On September 17, 2014, the Coyotes announced they had hired Rolston as a pro scout.[4] On June 18, 2015, the Coyotes announced that Rolston had been promoted to head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons.[5]
Playing career
Rolston played 3 years with Michigan Technological University, scoring 32 goals and 68 points in 110 games.[6]
Coaching career
| Years | Team | League |
|---|---|---|
| 1990-95 | Lake Superior State University | CCHA |
| 1996-99 | Clarkson University | ECAC |
| 1999-02 | Harvard University | ECAC |
| 2002-04 | Boston College | Hockey East |
| 2004-11 | United States National Team Dev. Program (USNTDP) | USHL |
| 2011-13 | Rochester Americans | AHL |
| 2013 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL |
| 2015-16 | Springfield Falcons | AHL |
NHL coaching statistics
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | OTL | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
| Buffalo Sabres | 2012-13 | 31 | 15 | 11 | 5 | (35) | 5th in Northeast | Missed Playoffs |
| Buffalo Sabres | 2013-14 | 20 | 4 | 15 | 1 | (9) | 8th in Atlantic | Fired |
| NHL Total | 51 | 19 | 26 | 6 | ||||
Career highlights
- Guided the Amerks to a 36-26-10-4 record and a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs in 2011-12, his first season behind the Rochester bench
- A 2011 Bob Johnson Award recipient, which recognizes excellence in international competition during a season
- Winningest coach in the history of USA Hockey's Nation Team Development Program (NTDP)
- A three-time gold-medal winner at the International Ice Hockey Federation U-18 World Championships in 2005, 2009 and most recently in 2011
- During the 2010-11 season, he led Team USA to titles in the 2011 Five Nations Tournament and in the 2010 Four Nations Cup
- Led the U.S. National Under-17 team to the 2009-10 campaign World Hockey Challenge title, its first since 2002
- In 2008-09, led the U.S. National Under-18 Team to first-place finishes at both the 2008 Men's Under-18 Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., and 2009 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament in Sweden
- Also served as HC coach for the U.S. National Junior Team on two occasions, helping Team USA to a bronze medal at the 2007 IIHF World Junior Championship in Sweden
- Led Team USA to a silver medal at the 2007 IIHF U-18 tournament
- Won NCAA National Championships in 1992 and 1994 with Lake Superior State University, a team he also guided to three straight appearances in the NCAA National Championship game and four CCHA tournament titles in his five-year stint
- Perhaps the most decorated coach in NTDP history, Rolston-led teams have never missed the championship game in either of the major NTDP tournaments, the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Championship. In the 4 IIHF U-18 Championships that he his teams have competed in, they have brought home 3 golds and a silver medal.[7]
- In July 2011, he was hired by the Buffalo Sabres to be the head coach of their affiliate team, the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League .[8]
- In February 2013, named interim head coach of the Sabres after the firing of Lindy Ruff.
- Officially named head coach of the Sabres on May 7, 2013, removing the interim tag. He was fired from Buffalo on November 13, 2013.[6]
Personal
He is the older brother of Brian Rolston.
He and his wife, Shannon, have two children - Maeve and Ronan.
References
- "DOB".
- "Sabres relieve Ruff of coaching duties, name Rolston".
- "Sabres remove interim tag for coach Ron Rolston".
- Hoppe, Bill (September 17, 2014). "Coyotes hire former Sabres coach Ron Rolston as pro scout". Buffalo Hockey Beat.
- Cuthbert, Justin (June 18, 2015). "Coyotes hire Ron Rolston to coach new AHL affiliate in Springfield". thescore.com. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- Rolston, Ron. "The Internet Hockey Database". Retrieved 20 February 2013.
- Rolston, Ron. "Bio". Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
- Ron Rolston named Rocherster Amerks Head Coach Democrat and Chronicle, July 27, 2011. Retrieved July 2011