Hamline University has tapped Minnesota standout Scott Bell as its next head men’s hockey coach.
Bell replaces Chris Brown, who stepped down earlier this month after coaching the Pipers for one season.
Bell served as an assistant coach at St. Thomas from 2003-04, where the team won the MIAC playoff championship, and coached high school hockey this past season.
Bell served for two seasons (2001-03) as general manager and head coach of the Rockford Ice Hogs in the United Hockey League. At age 30, Bell was the youngest head coach in all of professional hockey. The former University of Minnesota standout was also a general manager and an assistant coach for the UHL’s New Haven Knights and Missouri River Otters.
Bell’s background also includes head coaching responsibilities at the USA Select 14, 15, and 17 national festivals.
Bell’s experiences as a coach includes time in the United States Hockey league as an assistant with NHL All-Star and Olympian Dave Christian and assistant at Augsburg College when the team won the MIAC championship and appeared in the NCAA Frozen Four during the 1997-98 season.
As a player, Bell was a two-year captain for head coach Doug Woog at Minnesota. The Gophers won the WCHA regular season and playoff championships during Bell’s stay along with two trips to the NCAA Final Four. Bell is the only three-time winner of the “Most Determined Player” award in the school’s history.
Following his playing days as a Gopher, Bell signed with the Chicago Blackhawks organization. He also played in the Boston Bruins organization and the Minnesota Moose. He later came out of retirement to win a championship with the Quad City Mallards of the UHL.
A native of Inver Grove Heights, Minn., Bell was a standout high school player before heading to the Sioux City Musketeers in the USHL where he was a League All-Star and Rookie of the Year. After one year of playing juniors, Bell received a scholarship to play for Minnesota.
Bell currently resides in Minneapolis with his wife Jaci and son Ramsey.
In Brown’s one season behind the Pipers’ bench, he led the team to a 4-20-1 record. Prior to Hamline, Brown coached for five seasons at Marian College, where he posted a record of 65-36-7 leading the Sabres to MCHA regular season titles in 2002 and 2004 and MCHA tournament championships in 2001 and 2002. Brown is a member of the NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey committee.
Brown coordinated all recruiting efforts for Division I Alaska-Anchorage of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association for 3 seasons and served as an assistant coach at Augsburg College during the 1996-97 season.
