As Roger Williams University prepares to kick off a men’s hockey program in the fall of 2025, Chris Hall has been named the first head coach for the rebooted program.
Roger Williams is located in Bristol, R.I.
“I’m incredibly honored to be the first leader of the RWU men’s ice hockey program in this new era,” Hall said in a news release. “It is an amazing time to be a Hawk. A significant investment in hockey, combined with a powerful academic experience and a welcoming community, makes Roger Williams a great destination for college athletes, and I am excited to build a competitive program.”
The Hawks have been competing at the ACHA level and will make the jump to the NCAA ranks in the CNE conference in 2025-26.
“We are thrilled to welcome Chris Hall as our inaugural men’s varsity ice hockey coach,” said Roger Williams VP for student life John King. “We had a terrific candidate pool, but Chris’s deep experience as a full-time assistant coach at the collegiate level, strong knowledge and passion for the game, and commitment to the student-athlete experience were important to a new program in a highly competitive conference.”
“We are excited to have Chris join the RWU Athletics family as the first Men’s Ice Hockey Coach in our rebooted varsity program,” said Hawks director of athletics, intramurals and recreation Kiki Jacobs. “His energy and enthusiasm were evident throughout the entire process. His connections within the ice hockey community will help him recruit regionally, nationally, and internationally to get the program off the ground in a competitive CNE.”
Hall has most recently served as assistant coach at Babson last season, helping coach the school’s team to a 14-10-2 record, with a 12-5-1 record in the NEHC.
Before his stop at Babson, Hall gained experience at the Division I level from 2018 to 2023, serving as an assistant for Merrimack’s women’s hockey program. Hall helped coach the best finish in program history in 2018-19, finishing 16-10-5 in the Hockey East. Hall also had playoff success in 2022 and 2023, picking up the first playoff wins in program history. Working with defense, goaltenders, and special teams, Hall’s power-play unit was ranked 16th in the nation and fourth in Hockey East (19.3%). Hall also helped to build recruiting pipelines in numerous regions internationally, while also helping to develop four all-Hockey East selections and six Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) and Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) signees.
From 2012 until 2018, Hall was at Colby, where he was an assistant on the 2017-18 Edward Jeremiah Award staff, awarded to the Division III men’s hockey coaching staff of the year. During the stop, he also held his first head coaching job, leading the men’s golf team for the Mules. The 2017-18 season saw the Mules win their first ever NESCAC championship in men’s hockey while also earning a trip the NCAA Division III semifinals.
During the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, Hall was a graduate assistant and director of hockey operations at UMass, where he coordinated day-to-day operations of the program, including Frozen Fenway. He worked with the Friends of UMass Hockey and managed the yearly operating budget.
His first position after graduating in 2010 from Notre Dame was at Amherst College, where he was the goaltender coach for the Mammoths. He coached the Division III player of the year and first team All-American goaltender Jonathan La Rose during the 2011-12 campaign.
During his time with the Fighting Irish, Hall worked with the hockey team as a student assistant, where the program won 116 games in five seasons and appeared in three NCAA tournaments, reaching the national title game in 2008.
Hall expressed his thanks for the support he has received in gaining this appointment to RWU.
“Two words immediately come to mind: gratitude and excitement,” Hall said. “I’m grateful to president Ioannis Miaoulis, vice president John King, athletic director Kiki Jacobs, and the entire hiring committee for the opportunity to join the RWU community. I am also indebted to the coaches and mentors who have helped me get to this point in my career. I would not be the person I am today without Jamie Rice, Erin Hamlen, Blaise MacDonald, Don Cahoon, and Jeff Jackson. Most of all, I am grateful for the lifelong support of my partner, Katherine.”
Hall will begin his post with the Hawks on Nov. 12.
