Augustana announced the addition of Taylor Nelson to its men’s hockey coaching staff.
Nelson joins the Vikings as a first year after spending the past two seasons at UMass Lowell.
“We couldn’t be happier to welcome Taylor, his wife Claire, and three young children to the Midwest,” Augustana coach Garrett Rapinoe said in a statement. “He has a solid reputation as a player, recruit and talent developer. His commitment to team and family and excitement to build makes him a tremendous addition to the men’s hockey program.”
Prior to UMass Lowell, Nelson spent four seasons at Canisius as the recruiting coordinator. He also saw responsibility for penalty kills and goalie development.
A graduate of Ferris State, Nelson was the starting goaltender for the Bulldogs while assisting them in the Frozen Four in 2012 as a senior. He earned AHCA/CCM All-America First Team honors for the season in which he achieved a 21-7-3 record, 2.10 GAA, . 924 save percentage and three shutouts.
After graduating, he played 73 professional games, spending time with the San Francisco Bulls of the ECHL and the Wichita Thunder of the CHL.
He then began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Ferris State where he helped set up video, goaltending, and scouting reports.