Washington Capitals assistant coach Reid Cashman will be the next head coach of the Dartmouth men’s hockey team, the school announced Monday afternoon.
Cashman has spent the past four seasons in the Capitals organization — the first two as an assistant coach with the AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, and the past two with the parent club. However, he’s no stranger to ECAC Hockey.
Cashman, 37, was one of the best defensemen in the history of the program at Quinnipiac. The Red Wing, Minn., native played for the Bobcats from 2003 to 2007. He accumulated 23 goals and 125 assists for 148 points in 151 games. He served as an alternate captain his junior year before wearing the captain’s ‘C’ as a senior.
Following a four-year minor pro career that stemmed the AHL, ECHL and Europe, Cashman returned to his alma mater as an assistant on Rand Pecknold’s staff from 2011 to 2015. As a player and an assistant coach, Cashman played a huge part in building the Quinnipiac program into what it is today.
Cashman replaces Bob Gaudet, who announced his retirement earlier this offseason after 23 seasons behind the Big Green bench. Dartmouth did a terrific job in its search for a new head coach. The Hanover, N.H., school rounded up a great list of candidates and eventually finalists.
In addition to Cashman, Dartmouth alum and current volunteer assistant Ben Lovejoy and Boston University associate head coach Paul Pearl were believed to be the three finalists. Both would have been solid hires as well. Other candidates who had interest and were contacted by Dartmouth included Norwich head coach Cam Ellsworth and Michigan assistant coach Kris Mayotte.
"I feel like I have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to be the head coach of the Dartmouth men's hockey program," Cashman said in a school-issued press release. "For 114 years, Dartmouth has competed at the highest level and has produced Olympians, All-Americans and NHL players. Along with the great history on the ice, Dartmouth College has been one of the finest institutions in the world for more than 250 years. It is truly an honor to be given this prestigious opportunity."
Dartmouth obviously is a different animal than Quinnipiac. The academic requirements are different and the pool of potential recruits won’t always be the same. However, Cashman has a wealth of knowledge and is an extremely smart hockey coach by all accounts. According to college hockey sources, Dartmouth players came away extremely impressed with Cashman after meeting him in the hiring process.
Cashman is a rising star in the coaching business. If all goes well at Dartmouth, he’ll likely move on to a more high-profiled job in hockey. Still, the Big Green landed a very good hockey coach who should bring elevated levels of success to the school.
According to the college, Cashman will remain with the Capitals through the end of the Stanley Cup playoffs that are set to begin this summer, joining the Big Green on a full-time basis shortly after the conclusion of the Washington’s postseason run.
