Brad Dexter - Men's Ice Hockey Coach - Princeton University Athletics

Brad Dexter

Title:
Assistant Coach

Brad Dexter is in his eighth season as a coach for the Princeton men's hockey team, and his third season as Associate Head coach following his elevation to that role during the 2019-20 season.

In 2018-19, the Tigers were nationally ranked with two players breaking into the record book of a program that dates back to 1900. Ryan Kuffner and Max Veronneau moved into the top five all-time in scoring with Kuffner setting the school record for goals in a career and made history as the first Tiger to earn back-to-back All-America honors. Dexter and the Tigers continued to make history with an unprecedented three undrafted free agents, Kuffner, Veronneau and Josh Teves signing NHL contracts and making their debuts in 2019. All three graduated on time in June.

In just four short years with Dexter behind the bench, Princeton went from 12th in the ECAC to 2018 ECAC Champions. The Tigers epic run during the 2017-18 season saw the program catapult its way to the championship as the No. 7 seed, knocking off the No. 2 seed Union in the quarterfinals, No. 1 seed Cornell in the semifinal and No. 3 seed Clarkson in the title game. The Tigers had the best scoring offense in the nation, averaging 3.64 goals per game behind 50+ point seasons from second-team All-Americans Ryan Kuffner and Max Véronneau. The duo finished third and fifth in the nation in scoring, as Vérronneau was the nation's assist leader and Kuffner was second in goals per game. In addition, junior Josh Teves led the nation in defenseman scoring and Princeton had the top ranked power play unit, converting 27.7 percent during the season.

It was a season that Dexter and the Princeton staff had been building up to. In 2016-17, Princeton went 15-16-3 - matching its number of wins over the last three years combined. The Tigers were one of the most improved teams in the country this season: after starting 0-6-1, the Tigers then went 7-2-1 in their turnaround season that saw them grab home ice for the playoffs for the first time since 2012.

A nine-year assistant coach at Colgate, he helped the Raiders reach the ECAC championship weekend five times - with the 2013-14 team being the ECAC runner-up and earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament before being named assistant coach at Princeton in the summer of 2014.

In that time he coached two All-Americas and Hobey Baker finalists in David McIntyre and Austin Smith, three Hockey Humanitarian finalists including the 2012 winner Evan Cox. Additionally Dexter coached two ECAC Hockey Players of the Year, four first-team All-ECAC selections, seven second-team picks, three third-team selections and two all-rookie team members.

The Kingston, Ontario native began is professional playing career in 1996 with the Raleigh IceCaps (ECHL). He scored 40 points in 52 games before being traded to regular-season champion South Carolina. During the Stingrays playoff run, Dexter scored 26 points in 18 games as the team won the inaugural Kelly Cup.

Dexter spent the next three seasons with South Carolina as an assistant captain, recording 186 points in 221 games, and being voted to the ECHL all-star team in 1999 and 2000. He bookended his career with the Stingrays in 2000-01 with another Kelly Cup title.

Dexter gained coaching experience with the South Carolina as he worked as a player-coach from 1999-2001. In that capacity, he served as a liaison between the coaching staff and the players, while also co-hosted a weekly, 30-minute Stingrays TV show.

During the 1999-00 season, Dexter played five games with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) and three games with the Kansas City Blades (IHL).

He took a pause from his playing career in 2001-02 when he took an assistant coaching position at Clarkson. That year he helped the Golden Knights to a second-place finish in the ECAC with an 11-6-5 league record.

Dexter laced up his skates again in 2002-03 with the Pensacola Ice Pilots (ECHL), acting as assistant captain and playing in all 72 games and collecting 52 points. The following season he played for the Herning Blue Fox of the Danish Elite League, helping the squad to the regular-season championship.

In his final year in pro hockey, Dexter captained the Victoria Salmon Kings (ECHL). He was the team’s second leading scorer with 35 points in 49 games, and was voted to start in the ECHL All-Star Game. While he was sidelined for 23 games with an injury, Dexter filled in as an assistant coach.

As a senior at Colgate, Dexter registered 32 points as a defender, which ranks seventh all-time in program history in points by a defenseman. That same year he captured second-team All-America and first-team All-ECAC honors. He earned second-team All-ECAC honors as a junior, and was named to the all-rookie team his first season. Dexter currently ranks 70th on the all-time scoring list with 85 points in 108 games.

A 1996 graduate of Colgate, Dexter and his wife, Rhea, have two daughters, Mia and Kennedy.