June 30, 2004
Rolston Leaves BC for U.S. NTDP Post

By Nate Ewell

Ron Rolston

Boston College assistant coach Ron Rolston, considered one of the top assistant coaches and recruiters in the college game, has been named the head coach of the U.S. Under-18 Team at the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor.

The move takes Rolston out of the running for the Harvard head coaching position. The former Crimson assistant had been a finalist for the job and was considered by many to be the favorite for the position. Sources tell Inside College Hockey that Harvard alum and Boston Bruins forward Ted Donato appears to be the leading candidate. One of Donato’s representatives, Peter Fish, first confirmed his client’s interest in the position to Inside College Hockey last week. Reached on Tuesday, Fish said that he had no additional information about Donato’s candidacy.

"I'm very excited about the opportunity to join USA Hockey and the National Team Development Program, which I've watched grow to achieve such tremendous results over the years," said Rolston. "I also look forward to being a part of this dedicated staff and further expanding my coaching experience by helping top young players achieve their dreams and hopefully one day represent the United States in events such as the Olympics and World Cup of Hockey."

Rolston takes over for David Quinn, who left the NTDP to become the associate head coach at Boston University. Those two moves could give the Terriers a boost, at least in terms of recruiting, in the heated rivalry between the two schools, one that has been dominated by Boston College in the past couple of years.

Rolston, meanwhile, will be working closely with a BU alumnus at the NTDP. John Hynes, a 1997 Terrier graduate, is the other head coach in the program and a former assistant at Wisconsin.

The NTDP, which features Under-17 and Under-18 teams, is one of the top producers of college talent every year. As it did with Hynes and Quinn, the NTDP will continue to have two former college players, and former college coaches, at the helm.

Rolston spent the past two years at Boston College, coming to the Heights from Harvard after Scott Paluch left for the Bowling Green head coaching position. The move leaves head Eagles coach Jerry York seeking an assistant for the second time in three years.

Rolston had been an assistant coach at Harvard for three seasons, and was also an assistant at Clarkson and Lake Superior State.

A three-year letterwinner at Michigan Tech and native of Fenton, Mich., Rolston graduated from college in 1990. He has extensive experience with USA Hockey, including serving as an assistant coach on the 2003 U.S. National Junior Team.