Seth Appert is in his third season as the head coach of the men’s hockey program, having led Rensselaer to a 21-41-12 overall record in his first two years.
Highlights during Appert’s first two seasons at RPI include leading the Engineers to two titles in the Governor’s Cup Tournament – Rensselaer’s first titles of any kind since 1998 – and garnering points against six nationally-ranked opponents. RPI has had a nationally-ranked recruiting class and also enjoyed numerous stints in the national polls, including eight straight weeks this season. Individually, Rensselaer student-athletes have earned All-League and All-Rookie status as well as having a Student-Athlete of the Year Award finalist.
In addition to his position at RPI, Appert also served as an assistant coach for the 2007 U.S. Under-18 Select Team that competed in the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament from August 14-18 in Piestany, Slovakia and Hodonin, Czech Republic. Named the President of the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) on May 1, 2008, Appert was also a coach in the 2008 NCAA Pontiac Skills Challenge.
Prior to joining Rensselaer, Appert, the 12th head men’s hockey coach in the storied program’s history, spent nine seasons as an assistant coach at Denver, where he was responsible for recruiting, on-ice coaching, video breakdown, and game analysis work. He also played a big role in the development of the Pioneers’ goaltenders.
A collegiate netminder at Ferris State University, Appert individually coached one All-America, two All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) honorees, two WCHA Playoff Most Valuable Players, and two Frozen Four Most Outstanding Players at Denver. Three of his goaltenders were draft picks of the National Hockey League, including one Hobey Baker Award finalist. Two of those netminders have played in the NHL in recent years.
Appert helped Denver sign nationally ranked recruiting classes during his nine-year tenure with the Pioneers. Among those he coached or recruited were the 2006 Hobey Baker Award winner, eight All-Americas, a WCHA Player of the Year, 22 All-WCHA picks, three WCHA Defensive Players of the Year, two WCHA Student-Athletes of the Year, and 17 NHL draft picks at Denver. The Pioneers averaged over 23 wins per year during his tenure as an assistant coach and captured two NCAA National Championships, three WCHA playoff championships, and two WCHA regular-season titles in his years of coaching at Denver.
A four-year letterwinner at Ferris State from 1992-96, Appert and his wife, Jill, have two daughters, Addison, who is three, and Campbell, who was born in June.
