UMass Lowell announced the promotion of Dylan Zink to assistant coach prior to the 2023-24 season.
Zink, a 2017 graduate of UMass Lowell and a four-year standout on the River Hawks hockey team, has spent the last three seasons as director of hockey operations at his alma mater.
“Promoting Dylan was an easy decision,” Riverhawks coach Norm Bazin said in a statement. “As a former player, he’s been fantastic in his time as our Director of Hockey Operations, serving as the conduit from our players to our team. His attention to detail and positive vibes carry around the hockey area. We feel he’s ready to take the next step and start hiring. He’s had an excellent playing career, and we look forward to To have him follow the same path as the coach. Dylan will recruit and assist in all phases of player development, working closely with our defenders and power plays.”
“I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to take my next step with our university and continue to give back to our program,” added Zink. “I look forward to working with and developing our great student-athletes and continuing my professional development under the leadership of Coach Bazin and our amazing team.”
Zink moved into the hockey front office after three years of playing professionally. He made his professional league debut with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He split the 2017-18 season between the Penguins and the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers before playing in Europe in 2018-19 and 2019-20 with Norway’s Sparta Sarpsborg and Sweden’s Karlskrona HK. He returned to the United States in 2019-20, splitting time with the South Carolina Stingers of the ECHL and the Toledo Walleye.
As an offensive defenseman, Zink played in 143 games during his tenure at UMass Lowell. He had 87 points (31 goals, 56 assists) in a Riverhawks uniform, and completed a distinguished career with the team by winning AHCA Second Team All-America titles in his senior season.
The all-time leader in goals by a defenseman at UMass Lowell (31) and a two-time Hockey East champion (2014, 2017), Zink was named to the 2007-2017 All-Decade Team as part of the program’s celebration of 50 years of hockey.
Zink earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from UMass Lowell in 2017 before completing his MBA in 2023.