Connecticut announced Wednesday that Brendan Buckley has joined the Huskies as an assistant coach after a successful 12-year professional playing career.
“We are very excited to have Brendan joining our staff,” UConn head coach Mike Cavanaugh said in a statement. “I had the opportunity to coach him for four years in college. Through his extensive collegiate and pro experience, he clearly has the leadership skills we are looking for to help build this program into a Hockey East champion.”
A native of Needham, Mass., Buckley played at Boston College where he came in as part of the first class recruited by Jerry York and his staff that included Cavanaugh. He was named assistant captain in 1998 and wore the ‘C’ for the Eagles in 1999, helping to lead the team to back-to-back Hockey East titles and Frozen Four appearances. After his freshman season, Buckley was selected by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the 1996 NHL draft.
He graduated from BC in 1999.
Buckley’s pro career spanned over 550 games in the American Hockey League and in Europe and served as a captain or assistant captain for four different organizations. He spent four seasons with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and was named the 2003 Defenseman of the Year.
After retiring in 2011, Buckley joined Buckley Sports Management where he served as VP and director of recruiting. He has also served as the Tier 1 commissioner and tournament director for the Eastern Hockey Federation in Boston since 2012.
