Saint Michael’s has announced the hire of Jack Fitzgerald as men’s hockey head coach.
Fitzgerald, a former Amherst and Middlebury assistant coach, becomes the program’s fourth head coach since it was elevated to varsity status in 1982-83.
He succeeds 13-year head coach Damian DiGiulian, who retired this summer after leading the Purple Knights to the 2024-25 Northeast 10 championship crown.
“I am honored and excited to be named head coach of the storied Saint Michael’s men’s ice hockey program,” said Fitzgerald. “I have long admired the program’s success and the deep passion its alumni have for their experiences here. I look forward to building on that proud tradition, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Fitzgerald helped revitalize the Middlebury men’s hockey program the past two seasons as the only assistant coach on a two-person staff. The Panthers advanced to the NESCAC tournament semifinals both years after last qualifying in 2015-16, and their 13-12-1 mark last winter was their first above .500 since 2012-13.
“I am excited to welcome Jack Fitzgerald as the new head coach of the Saint Michael’s men’s ice hockey team,” said SMC associate director of athletics Annie Martin. “His success in leading Amherst to strong scoring and defensive performances along with his ability to recruit top talent at Middlebury showcase his skill in developing competitive teams. We look forward to seeing how his expertise will elevate our program and support our student-athletes’ growth.”
Fitzgerald was an assistant coach at Amherst, his alma mater, for the four years prior to landing at Middlebury (2019-23). He was the Mammoths’ lead recruiter and both crafted power-play systems and selected its personnel. Amherst led the NESCAC in power-play percentage during the 2022-23 season after taking second the year before.
Fitzgerald’s final winter at Amherst featured the program’s highest win total (16-6-4) and first home semifinal appearance since 2014-15, with the Mammoths claiming fourth in NCAA Division III in scoring average while pacing the NESCAC in scoring defense. Amherst was also first in the nation in penalty kill percentage in 2019-20.
A native of Guilford, Conn., Fitzgerald was a coach, instructor, and assistant director of operations and marketing at different times with the Guilford-based Elite Hockey Program between 2019 and 2021.
Fitzgerald graduated from Amherst with a degree in psychology in 2019. He was a men’s hockey captain as a senior when the Mammoths qualified for their second NESCAC final during his career. They went a combined 51-35-16 overall and 34-23-15 in NESCAC play across his four years, where Fitzgerald netted 43 points in 102 contests.
He was named to the Winter 2019 NESCAC all-sportsmanship team, was a member of the Amherst LEADS Futures Program for three years and has been involved with Special Olympics Massachusetts since 2015.
