Get to know Skidmore men's hockey coach Rob Hutchison

1. How did you get into coaching, and how would you describe your coaching style?

I was given an opportunity upon graduation from Skidmore to coach and taught at the Trinity-Pawling School. As a member of the staff, I coached a bit of soccer, hockey, and baseball, before focusing in on the hockey program during my last few years at the school. Additionally, my grandfather and father were quite influential—Both were heavily involved in coaching football at the high school and youth levels.
 
From a coaching perspective, I try not to overcomplicate the game. We preach keeping the game simple, not over-thinking, and focusing on what is controllable. Preparing to compete, practicing, and ultimately playing games should be hard work and challenging, but shouldn't overshadow the fun that comes with the opportunity to play a game that we all love.

2. You have the unique position of being an alum of the hockey program and now the coach. What has that experience been like for you?

Having the opportunity to return to Skidmore and Saratoga Springs to help continue moving the hockey program forward has been special. As an alum, there is naturally a tremendous amount of intrinsic care for the program and that's been a driving force behind a lot of our decisions surrounding recruitment, style of play, and community involvement.

2. The growth and competitive level have increased in D-3 hockey over the decade. Is that due to changes in recruiting?

The reality is that opportunities available (roster spots) have not kept pace with the desire to play college hockey. This issue and some other factors have led to an influx of junior hockey (U20) leagues/teams.  As a result (at the D-3 level) we've seen an uptick in the average age and, ultimately, the skill, maturity, & ability of incoming recruits. Combine that change with a coach's ability to recruit high-end student-athletes from all over the country and world; it's clear how much of an impact.

3. Hockey plays in an entirely different conference than the Liberty League. Please describe the competition and how the NEHC stacks up nationally?

The NEHC is an elite D-3 hockey conference and is packed with fantastic players, teams, facilities, fan bases, and coaches. The league has boasted 25% of the NCAA bids the past two years, while frequently having up to six teams ranked concurrently in the top 25 during the past few seasons. Additionally, the league has produced numerous All-Americans and professional hockey contracts. Most notably, several ECHL & AHL contracts in the past few years. Simply put, the league is extremely competitive. With that said, the greatest strength may be in the diversity of the member institutions. You have a wide range of schools based on size, resources, academic programs offered, and geography. It is truly a special and unique conference.

4. Who is Skidmore's biggest rivalry, and how has that developed over time?

We spent quite a few years with Castleton University as our travel partner, and naturally, that situation breeds rivalry. Typically you play your travel partner on back to back nights in a home/away series.  These games often become heated, especially the second night. Castleton does a great job creating a hostile environment for visiting opponents at their home building and play a very physical, tough brand of Hockey. We've had some dogfights with them over the years. 

5. What advice would you give a high school recruit or current player who wants to play ice hockey at the collegiate level?

I would tell a student that hockey recruiting can be a long process and the road will likely be different than current and former teammates. With that said, be engaged in the process--send emails and visit campuses—and keep doors at all levels open--situations change all the time. Most importantly, stay present, have fun with the game and focus on the following:  improving, having an impactful role on your team, and being a great teammate/leader.

6. Your team plays its games off-campus; tell us what the Board approval of a new rink on campus would mean for the program and the College?

Skidmore College has tremendous offerings: great campus, outstanding academics, a beautiful town and location (Saratoga Springs), a history of tremendous job placement, etc. A rink on campus is the factor that will enable our program to consistently be one of the best D-3 hockey options in the country.

7. How does the Skidmore Men's Ice Hockey team connect with Skidmore and the Saratoga Community?

Our support for the community varies from year to year. One of our main focuses has been to connect with the Saratoga Youth Hockey players and build those relationships. Our guys typically work with the Mite or Squirt programs (youth teams) weekly throughout the season and attend special events to show support. We host a "Youth Hockey Night" each year to celebrate the local organizations and their players. Additionally, we've spent time working with The Melanie Foundation (Saratoga Palio Road Race), The Wesley Center, Saratoga Bridges, Wilton Food Pantry, The Saratoga Reading Program, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Make-A-Wish Foundation, CABVI Hockey (Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired), Franklin Community Center (Adopt-A-Family), & Do It For Daron organization (Mental Health)
 
I'm really proud of our guys when it comes to their efforts in the community. They have answered the bell and worked to have an impact on others over the past few years.
 
    8.  The '20/'21 season has been suspended until December due to COVID-19. What are you and your team doing to prepare for a possible spring season?

Our mindset remains the same—prepare for a season and be ready when given the green light. As it sits right now, we begin our small group, on-ice sessions October 1st, and start a phasing process toward team practices during the fall. Similar to any other year, the guys will train off-ice with our strength coach, Matt Chatham, and work through systems and video sessions with staff throughout the fall as well. Our goal right now as a league is to begin play after the new year, prioritizing league play over non-conference games. 

9. With the top 20 recruiting classes, athletic and academic achievements for your student-athletes, where do you see your team headed in the next four years?

Our goals remain consistent year to year—get better each day, each week, each season. It's a process to get to the top and we, like everyone else, have hurdles to get there, but have a unified belief that it's attainable.  
 
Though we'll be young in net this year in terms of game played with Brian Kowalski '21, Danny Lassman '21, and Tate Brandon '24, we feel that this group has the makings of an excellent goaltending corps. Defensively, we returned virtually our entire back end, led by the junior trio of Captain Austin Rook '22, Asst. Captain Reid Russell '22, and Kyle DelMaestro '22. Up front, I'm excited to see what this group can do--we've added some fun players to an already talented forward group that has their best hockey in front of them. 

10. Tell us more about what your team needs to help the program be successful?

Get out to a game and support our student-athletes. You can't beat the price of admission and we are confident that the product will meet or surpass any expectations. 
 
From a material standpoint, there are always needs and wants. Our top priority is to ensure the student-athlete has access to top notch equipment such as sticks, pads, apparel, and resources such as video breakdown software, skills equipment, travel needs, etc. Beyond the day to day items, we have needs relevant to recruiting, updating locker room spaces and signage in and around the facility. Additionally, we look around and see an incredible opportunity to surpass our peers with what we can provide to the student-athlete experience with a rink on campus.