Lindenwood announced Monday the hiring of Keith Fisher as the next head coach of the men’s hockey team.
Fisher, who takes over for Bill Muckalt, arrives in St. Charles, Mo., after spending 13 seasons on the staff at Penn State, including the last seven as the associate head coach of the Nittany Lions. Overall, Fisher has over 25 years of coaching experience between collegiate and junior hockey.
“Thank you to Dr. Porter and Mr. Coomer for the opportunity to lead the Lindenwood hockey program,” said Fisher in a statement. “It is an exciting time to be a Lion, and I look forward to building the program into a national contender. I can’t wait to get started.”
“From the outset of our search, it was essential to find a leader who could elevate our program to the next level,” added Lindenwood VP of intercollegiate athletics Jason Coomer. “Coach Fisher has been immersed in winning cultures throughout his career and has consistently helped young men grow and compete at the highest levels of the game.
“While Coach Fisher’s recent run to the Frozen Four speaks volumes, it’s his overall body of work that truly sets him apart. He is widely respected across the college hockey landscape, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him behind the bench, guiding and developing our young men.”
Fisher was named the 2020 Terry Flannagan Award winner, honoring the nation’s top assistant and their career body of work. In total, Fisher has coached three Big Ten player of the year winners with two coming on the defensive side, 12 all-conference performers, a pair of All-Americans, and three NHL players while at Penn State.
Fisher spent 2005 to 2011 on the staff at Princeton. With the Tigers, he helped lead the team to a pair of NCAA tournament berths (2008, 2009) and the 2008 ECAC and Ivy League championships. The 2009 Tigers also set the school record for wins in a season with 22, a record that still stands to this day.
The Minnesota native headed up the Princeton recruiting efforts which saw three All-Americans, two Hobey Baker Award finalists, two ECAC player of the year recipients (the only two in the history of the program), one ECAC rookie of the year, one ECAC defenseman of the year and one ECAC goaltender of the year.
Fisher’s teams also combined for 48 Academic All-ECAC players, five NHL players, four first-team All-ECAC players and three first-team All-Ivy players.
“Today Lindenwood hired an excellent coach and an even better person,” said Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky. “Coach Fisher has been a great friend and a huge part of the success of the hockey programs at Penn State and Princeton. Penn State hockey, and me personally, will really miss ‘Fish,’ but we all look forward to seeing him build the Lindenwood hockey program with great integrity — just like him.”
Fisher spent five years with the USHL’s Omaha Lancers’ coaching staff, helping the team to the Clark Cup championship in 2001. His team was also crowned the Anderson Cup regular-season champions in both 2002 and 2005.
In Omaha, he served as the team’s recruiting coordinator and academic advisor, in addition to other responsibilities of on-ice coaching, video breakdown and game analysis.
NHL first-round draft picks Keith Ballard and Nick Petrecki, 11 NHL players, including Matt Carle and Paul Stastny, and USHL goaltender of the year and USA Hockey junior player of the year Jeff Lerg came through Omaha during Fisher’s time there. He also helped develop 54 NCAA Division I scholarship players and 12 NHL draft picks and served as associate coach for Team USHL at the USHL Prospects/All-Star game during his final season.
Fisher began his career at St. Cloud State, serving as an undergraduate assistant coach for two seasons. During his two seasons with the Huskies, Fisher helped develop five players for the NHL. The 2000 season saw St. Cloud State advance to just its second NCAA tournament in program history.
“Coach Fisher’s character and integrity were recurring themes in every conversation we had during this process,” said Coomer. “It’s clear he’ll be deeply missed at Penn State, but we’re thrilled to welcome him as he builds a program that the St. Charles and St. Louis hockey communities can take great pride in.”
A graduate of St. Cloud State, Fisher has a bachelor’s degree in communications.
Prior to coaching, Fisher played two seasons at Hibbing Community College and participated in the NJCAA national tournament.
