Courtney Kessel - Women's Ice Hockey Coach - Princeton University Athletics

Courtney Kessel

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
cpkessel@princeton.edu

Courtney Kessel has been named the sixth head coach of women’s ice hockey at Princeton University as announced by Ford Family Director of Athletics John Mack ‘00.

Kessel, who spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Princeton from 2019-23, most recently was behind the bench in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) as head coach of the Boston Fleet.

“It is an exciting moment for Princeton Women’s Ice Hockey with the return of Courtney Kessel in her new role as head coach,” said Mack. “She is a bright coaching mind with head coaching experience and success at the highest levels of professional and international hockey. She also has a wealth of knowledge about Princeton and our hockey program and knows first-hand what it requires to recruit, develop and mentor exceptional student-athletes at our University. I can’t wait to welcome Courtney, Blake and their family back to campus and support them as they begin this next chapter for Princeton Women’s Ice Hockey.”

Kessel brings years of experience as a coach and leader at the collegiate, international and professional levels to Hobey Baker Rink.

In addition to her time as head coach with the Fleet, she spent the 2018-19 season as head coach of the Toronto Furies in the CWHL.

The first head coach in Boston Fleet history, Kessel guided the Fleet to the Walter Cup Finals in 2024.

She has also been part of the coaching staff for three gold-medal winning teams with Hockey Canada, including a stint as assistant coach with the Senior National Team en route to a gold medal at the 2024 World Championships and serving as head coach of the 2023 U18 National Team that won gold.

“I am grateful to have the opportunity to return to Princeton and serve as women’s ice hockey head coach,” Kessel said. “My time at Princeton was special to me personally and professionally, and I am excited to rekindle those relationships with student-athletes, alumni, friends and colleagues. I am thankful to John Mack, Anthony Archbald and the entire search committee for their dialogue throughout the process and their support as I start this new role. It is bittersweet to move on from the Boston Fleet and the amazing people building that organization and the PWHL as a whole. This opportunity was the only one that could draw me away from where I was, and it is because I believe there is no better place to coach and develop student-athletes than at Princeton University. I look forward to getting to know the current team and building upon the foundation already established by wonderfully successful coaches and teams.”

During her four years at Princeton, Kessel was part of a historic 2019-20 season that included Princeton’s first-ever ECAC Tournament championship. The Tigers went 26-6-1 during that season, securing the ECAC crown with a 3-2 win in overtime at Lynah Rink over No. 1 Cornell.

That win secured an automatic bid to the 2020 NCAA Tournament where the Tigers were slated to be the No. 6 seed and take on Northeastern before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled that tournament and the entire 2020-21 season for the Ivy League.

Princeton returned in 2021-22, and made more history by becoming the first-ever No. 8 seed to knock off the No. 1 seed in the ECAC Tournament with a series win in three games at Harvard capped by a 3-2 win in Game Three.

Over her three full competitive seasons with the Tigers, Kessel was part of a group that went 54-36-7 overall and 36-26-4 in the ECAC.

Five players who played at Princeton during Kessel’s tenure as an assistant have gone on to play in the PWHL, including 2024 No. 1 overall draft pick by New York Sarah Fillier ‘24 as well as Maggie Connors ‘23 (Toronto), Mariah Keopple ‘23 (Seatt;e), Rachel McQuigge ‘22 (Ottawa), and Claire Thompson ‘20 (Vancouver). Another Tigers who played for Kessel, Annie MacDonald ‘21, played in the PHF for Toronto during the 2021-22 season.

Kessel has also had a hand in developing a pair of Olympic gold medalists during her time as an assistant with Princeton in Fillier and Thompson who won gold with Canada in 2022 in Beijing. Fillier won gold while taking a gap year from Princeton before returning to Baker Rink for two more standout seasons. Thompson, who had graduated in 2020, took a gap year of her own from medical school to represent her country en route to gold.

A 2011 graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Kessel was a second-team All-American in 2010 and was twice named first-team All-Hockey East. She was drafted No. 6 overall by the Brampton Thunder in the 2011 CWHL Draft and went on to an international career that included three stints on the Canadian Senior National Team where she won gold in 2012 and silver medals in 2013 and 2015.

What They Are Saying About Courtney Kessel
"Courtney played a huge role in my development and career — both on and off the ice. She’s incredibly passionate, dedicated, and knows exactly what it means to be part of Princeton Women’s Hockey. I can’t think of a better fit for the program!"
– Sarah Fillier '24; Olympic Gold Medalist (Canada) and PWHL No. 1 Overall Draft Pick (New York)

“Courtney is the perfect fit for Princeton and the women in the program. I am so excited to see what she can bring to this team to elevate it even higher. My time at Princeton when Courtney was there was unmatched, and I am so thrilled with her selection as the new head coach. She allows her players to excel in all aspects of their lives which is something so special to see. Courtney brings a level of compete and skill that will really propel this program forward. ‘PWIH’ is in great hands and I just know there are many championships in the near future. PWIH FOREVER!”
– Mariah Keopple '23; PWHL (Montreal, 2023-25/Seattle (2025-present)

“I am so grateful to have had Courtney Kessel as the inaugural head coach for the Boston Fleet. I can’t imagine building this team and culture with anyone else. Courtney set the tone from day one and elevated our group with her competitiveness, preparation, and care. She’s already established herself as an elite coach early in her career, and I know she’ll continue to raise the bar as the next head coach at Princeton. From all of us at the Fleet, we wish her the very best in this next chapter.”
– Danielle Marmer; Boston Fleet General Manager

“Some paths don’t just lead forward, they lead home. This opportunity that has been afforded her at Princeton, was I believe, truly meant to be. Courtney‘s return to Princeton is more than a coaching move; it’s a full-circle moment shaped by passion, perseverance, and purpose. From the minor hockey rinks of the Toronto Aeros and Oakville Hornets to the world stage with Hockey Canada and the professional ranks with the Fleet, she’s built a legacy of leadership. Now she brings it all back to Princeton where the next chapter of her coaching legacy begins. Courtney has always been a phone call away and has always made me feel important and a part of the teams that she has gone on to coach. It’s been an honor for me to be a confidant and mentor to her. She is just an incredibly loyal and humble leader who is kind and caring.”
– Jim Nyhuus; Former Oakville Hornets Head Coach and Toronto Furies Assistant Coach