SAINT PETER, Minn. - Tyler Walsh has been named head coach of the Gustavus men's hockey program, announced Thursday by Athletics Director Tom Brown. Walsh becomes the 20th head coach in the history of the program, but just the fourth in the past 60 years.
  "Tyler impressed the search committee, our administrators, and coaches during the interview process in many ways, but his leadership skills, high motivation, and work ethic really stood out," Brown said. "As an up-and-coming head coach, Tyler is charismatic, collaborative, and has a strong family coaching pedigree with his father [Shawn Walsh, Maine] and grandfather [Ron Mason, Michigan State] having a great deal of success as college hockey coaches. We are excited to have Tyler lead our program into a new era of Gustavus men's hockey."
 
Walsh comes to Gustavus after serving as the assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator for six years at Colby College (Maine), a Division III team in the New England Small College Athletic Conference. While at Colby, Walsh helped direct the Mules to the NESCAC playoffs in five of six seasons and recruited three All-America selections. After capturing the 2022 NESCAC regular season championship, Walsh and the Colby coaches were named Men's Ice Hockey Staff of the Year by the conference.
 
"My family and I are excited to join the Gustavus community and contribute to the rich hockey program," Walsh said. "I am extremely thankful and humbled by the opportunity to lead the Golden Gustie hockey program. I'd like to thank Tom Brown, Kari Eckheart, Jared Phillips, and everyone involved in the process for entrusting me with the opportunity to develop our players into leaders in the community as well as student-athletes both on and off the ice."
 
Walsh got his start in coaching as a student assistant at the University of Maine in 2011 and then at Canisius College (N.Y.) as the director of hockey operations for one season. He served as an assistant coach for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program from 2014-16 and then was the head hockey coach and assistant athletic director at North Yarmouth Academy (Maine) for two years.
 
Walsh, a Lansing, Mich. native, is a 2013 graduate of the University of Maine and earned his master's degree from Thomas College in 2023.
 
Walsh joins a Gustavus program that has claimed 14 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championships and five playoff titles. The Gusties, who have made the NCAA tournament six times with a national runner-up finish in 2009, have an all-time record of 918-750-102 in 82 seasons.
 
"It is humbling for me to know that I will be filling the shoes of former great coaches Brett Petersen and Don Roberts here at Gustavus," Walsh said. "Our coaching staff will emphasize player development so we can play an exciting brand of hockey."