Rensselaer has announced the hiring of Eric Lang as the Engineers’ men’s hockey head coach.
Lang, who replaces Dave Smith, comes to Troy, N.Y., after serving as the head coach at American International since 2016. Lang won 155 games at the helm of AIC and captured the Atlantic Hockey regular-season championship or postseason title seven times in his nine seasons.
AIC announced earlier this season that the hockey team is moving down to Division II, starting with the 2025-26 season.
“Today marks an exciting new chapter for RPI hockey and our community. We are thrilled to welcome Eric as our new head coach,” said RPI director of athletics Dr. Kristie Bowers in a statement. “His commitment to building a culture of excellence and his proven track record of championship-level success will undoubtedly take our program back to the top of the ECAC. I am confident that under Eric’s leadership, our student-athletes will achieve success on the ice, in the classroom, and in the community. Please join me in welcoming Eric, his wife Christine, and his children, Addison, EJ, Reese, and Drew, to our RPI hockey family.”
“I am incredibly excited to embark on this new chapter with this team and this historic program,” added Lang. “We have a fantastic opportunity to build something special here and I am ready to lead our players to achieve great things. We have a championship administration that is serious about hockey and getting this program back to the top of the ECAC. We have a lot of work to do, and I cannot wait to get started.”
A former player at American International, Lang led his alma mater to the NCAA tournament on three occasions. In the program’s first-ever NCAA appearance in 2019, Lang guided the Yellow Jackets to a thrilling 2-1 victory over top-seeded St. Cloud State in the regional semifinals in Fargo, N.D.
AIC earned return trips to the NCAA tournament in 2021 and 2022 and were ranked No. 20 in the country and headed for another NCAA berth prior to the cancellation of the 2020 tournament.
Before taking the top job at American International, Lang spent five seasons as an assistant under Brian Riley at Army, where he led the recruiting efforts, video analysis, and power play development. Lang was also a graduate assistant at AIC and the head coach of the Manhattanville women’s hockey program prior to joining the Army bench.
Lang was a four-year letter-winner at AIC and graduated with a degree in psychology in 1998. He later earned his master’s degree in organizational development from AIC. A two-time captain, he was honored with the ECAC Merit Medal and the school’s Henry Butova Leadership Award. He scored 25 goals and recorded 34 assists during his time in a Yellow Jacket uniform.
Lang has also worked for the NHL as an off-ice official and was the head hockey coach for Byram Hills High School in Armonk, N.Y., for four seasons before joining the collegiate ranks.
A press conference introducing Lang is planned for 2 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 14 at the Houston Field House (1900 Peoples Ave, Troy, NY 12180). The event is open to the media and the public.
