Princeton University Athletics
Ben Syer - Staff Directory
Ben Syer
- Title:
- Hobey Baker '14 Head Coach of Men's Ice Hockey
- Email:
- Phone:
- 609-258-6616
Years Coached: 2 (2024-Present)
All-ECAC Selections: 3
All-Ivy Selections: 7
Princeton Players Advanced To Professional Hockey: 5
Ben Syer was named the 18th head coach of men’s hockey at Princeton University in April of 2024 and begins his third season behind the bench with the Tigers in 2026-27.
The 2025-26 season saw Syer bring his team to the precipice of an ECAC Championship as the Tigers reached the ECAC final in Lake Placid where a historic season came to an end in a 2-1 loss to Dartmouth in overtime. Princeton went 18-13-3 overall during the 2025-26 season, and was 11-9-2 in ECAC play to finish fourth overall during the regular season and earn a bye to the ECAC Quarterfinals.
The 18 wins in 2025-26 are tied for No. 5 in a season all-time by a Princeton team and the 14 wins on home ice set a new program record for most home wins in a season. Over the course of the year, Princeton reached as high as No. 18 in the national rankings -- its first appearance in the national polls since the 2018-19 season.
Syer, who was named a finalist for ECAC Coach of the Year in 2025-26, has coached three All-ECAC selections and seven All-Ivy honorees over his first two seasons with the Tigers.
In addition to the on-ice success for the Tigers during the 2025-26 season, a pair of Princeton players received national honors for their work off the ice. Kevin Anderson was named the recipient of the 2026 Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award, while Jayden Sison was named a finalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award. Over his first two seasons, Syer has has 17 players named Krampade/AHCA Academic All-Americans, including 11 in 2025-26.
Syer took the reins at Princeton after 25 years as an assistant coach. He spent the previous 13 seasons at Cornell after a 12-season stint as Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Quinnipiac from 1999-2011.
In 2018, Syer was the recipient of the Terry Flanagan Award which is presented annually by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) to an assistant coach in recognition of his superior body of work over a career.
Syer’s 13 seasons at Cornell included seven Ivy League championships, three ECAC regular season titles and one ECAC Championships postseason title which came in 2024. Overall, he was part of a Big Red program that qualified for seven NCAA Tournaments and reached four Regional Finals.
Before joining the Big Red, he was on staff during Quinnipiac’s rise into Division I hockey where the Bobcats won the 2002 MAAC championship and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time. In addition, he coached a pair of conference regular season championship teams at Quinnipiac – one in the MAAC (1998-99) and one in Atlantic Hockey (2004-05). He was on staff with the Bobcats during their move to the ECAC which included a run to the ECAC Final in their second season of conference membership in 2006-07.
In addition to his plethora of team success over his career an an assistant, Syer coached seven All-Americans and three Hobey Baker Finalists while also helping guide his players to 42 All-Conference honors and 43 All-Ivy selections during his time at Cornell and Quinnipiac.
In terms of professional hockey aspirations, while with the Big Red and Bobcats Syer helped coach 23 NHL Draft Picks and has 12 former players who have appeared in NHL games.
The hallmark of Syer’s teams at Cornell was defense. Over his 13 years behind the bench with the Big Red, his teams averaged 2.21 goals allowed-per-game which ranked No. 3 among all Division I programs over those 13 seasons. In 2023-24, the Big Red led the country in Scoring Defense, allowing 1.86 goals-per-game as the lone team to average fewer than two goals allowed each night. In his 13 years with the Big Red, Syer mentored teams to a Top-10 ranking in Scoring Defense nine times and twice has led the country in that statistic (2017-18, 2023-24).
In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Syer has extensive experience with USA Hockey, winning a gold medal as Associate Head Coach at the Hlinka/Gretzky Cup in 2025and serving as head coach at USA Hockey Select Festivals.
He also was a guest coach at USA Hockey’s World Junior training camp in 2022, and was a guest coach at Development Camp with the Washington Capitals in 2018.
Syer has extensive skill development experience at camps and clinics around the country, including S&B Hockey Camps which he co-founded in Ithaca. He has served as guest lecturer at coaching symposiums run by the AHCA Convention, NCAA Frozen Four, USA Hockey and Washington Capitals.
A native of Kitchener, Ontario, Syer graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1998 with an honors degree in Urban Development. In 2000, he earned a Master’s in Physical Education from Ohio University while also serving as an assistant coach with the club men’s ice hockey team.
Ben and his wife, Laura, are the parents of two daughters, Mckenna and Elly.
All-ECAC Selections: 3
All-Ivy Selections: 7
Princeton Players Advanced To Professional Hockey: 5
Ben Syer was named the 18th head coach of men’s hockey at Princeton University in April of 2024 and begins his third season behind the bench with the Tigers in 2026-27.
The 2025-26 season saw Syer bring his team to the precipice of an ECAC Championship as the Tigers reached the ECAC final in Lake Placid where a historic season came to an end in a 2-1 loss to Dartmouth in overtime. Princeton went 18-13-3 overall during the 2025-26 season, and was 11-9-2 in ECAC play to finish fourth overall during the regular season and earn a bye to the ECAC Quarterfinals.
The 18 wins in 2025-26 are tied for No. 5 in a season all-time by a Princeton team and the 14 wins on home ice set a new program record for most home wins in a season. Over the course of the year, Princeton reached as high as No. 18 in the national rankings -- its first appearance in the national polls since the 2018-19 season.
Syer, who was named a finalist for ECAC Coach of the Year in 2025-26, has coached three All-ECAC selections and seven All-Ivy honorees over his first two seasons with the Tigers.
In addition to the on-ice success for the Tigers during the 2025-26 season, a pair of Princeton players received national honors for their work off the ice. Kevin Anderson was named the recipient of the 2026 Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award, while Jayden Sison was named a finalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award. Over his first two seasons, Syer has has 17 players named Krampade/AHCA Academic All-Americans, including 11 in 2025-26.
Syer took the reins at Princeton after 25 years as an assistant coach. He spent the previous 13 seasons at Cornell after a 12-season stint as Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Quinnipiac from 1999-2011.
In 2018, Syer was the recipient of the Terry Flanagan Award which is presented annually by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) to an assistant coach in recognition of his superior body of work over a career.
Syer’s 13 seasons at Cornell included seven Ivy League championships, three ECAC regular season titles and one ECAC Championships postseason title which came in 2024. Overall, he was part of a Big Red program that qualified for seven NCAA Tournaments and reached four Regional Finals.
Before joining the Big Red, he was on staff during Quinnipiac’s rise into Division I hockey where the Bobcats won the 2002 MAAC championship and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time. In addition, he coached a pair of conference regular season championship teams at Quinnipiac – one in the MAAC (1998-99) and one in Atlantic Hockey (2004-05). He was on staff with the Bobcats during their move to the ECAC which included a run to the ECAC Final in their second season of conference membership in 2006-07.
In addition to his plethora of team success over his career an an assistant, Syer coached seven All-Americans and three Hobey Baker Finalists while also helping guide his players to 42 All-Conference honors and 43 All-Ivy selections during his time at Cornell and Quinnipiac.
In terms of professional hockey aspirations, while with the Big Red and Bobcats Syer helped coach 23 NHL Draft Picks and has 12 former players who have appeared in NHL games.
The hallmark of Syer’s teams at Cornell was defense. Over his 13 years behind the bench with the Big Red, his teams averaged 2.21 goals allowed-per-game which ranked No. 3 among all Division I programs over those 13 seasons. In 2023-24, the Big Red led the country in Scoring Defense, allowing 1.86 goals-per-game as the lone team to average fewer than two goals allowed each night. In his 13 years with the Big Red, Syer mentored teams to a Top-10 ranking in Scoring Defense nine times and twice has led the country in that statistic (2017-18, 2023-24).
In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Syer has extensive experience with USA Hockey, winning a gold medal as Associate Head Coach at the Hlinka/Gretzky Cup in 2025and serving as head coach at USA Hockey Select Festivals.
He also was a guest coach at USA Hockey’s World Junior training camp in 2022, and was a guest coach at Development Camp with the Washington Capitals in 2018.
Syer has extensive skill development experience at camps and clinics around the country, including S&B Hockey Camps which he co-founded in Ithaca. He has served as guest lecturer at coaching symposiums run by the AHCA Convention, NCAA Frozen Four, USA Hockey and Washington Capitals.
A native of Kitchener, Ontario, Syer graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1998 with an honors degree in Urban Development. In 2000, he earned a Master’s in Physical Education from Ohio University while also serving as an assistant coach with the club men’s ice hockey team.
Ben and his wife, Laura, are the parents of two daughters, Mckenna and Elly.
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