Canisius College Men's Ice Hockey

• On staff at Canisius since the 2014-15 campaign, spending three seasons as an assistant coach before being tabbed the seventh head coach in school history in April 2017 • Coached the Golden Griffins to the program’s second AHA Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022-23 • Has led the squad to five appearances in the semifinal round of the AHA Postseason Tournament and two championship game appearances (2021, 2023) • Helped lead Canisius to its first AHA Regular Season Championship in 2016-17, highlighting a campaign that saw the team post a school-record 17-game unbeaten streak • Has coached 17 players who have earned a total of 28 all-conference accolades during his time at Canisius   • Mentored two AHA Players of the Year (Charles Williams and Dylan McLaughlin), two AHA Goaltending Champions (Jacob Barczewski and Charles Williams), one AHA Rookie of the Year (Matteo Giampa) and three other league major individual award recipients (Dylan McLaughlin, Cameron Heath and Ryan Schmelzer) • Influential in the arrival of Williams, who became the program’s first All-American selection and first finalist for both the Hobey Baker and Mike Richter Awards during the 2016-17 campaign • Played a key role in the development of McLaughlin, who was a Hobey Baker Top 10 finalist in 2017-18 and finished his career tied for the program’s Division I era scoring record with 147 points • Helped Giampa enjoy a standout freshman campaign in 2023-24 that saw him garner Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Year, All-AHA Second Team and AHA-All Rookie Team accolades after ranking among the top 10 freshmen in the nation in both goals and points • Entering his ninth season as head coach at Canisius (2017-Present) • Career head coaching record of 112-142-25 (.446) • Named Canisius head coach on April 28, 2017 • Chair of the NCAA’s Ice Hockey rules committee; member of the committee for the past three seasons • Served for three seasons as an assistant coach at Canisius under Dave Smith (2014-17) • Prior to joining Smith’s staff at Canisius, spent six seasons at Army West Point (2008-14) • Serving as Army’s assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under longtime head coach Brian Riley. • During his time with the Black Knights, Large worked with all facets of the program – forwards, defensemen, power play and penalty kill – helping coach six all-conference performers and three selections to the league’s all-rookie team. He also served as the team’s video coordinator. • Began his coaching career as an assistant at American International College (2006-08) for long-time head coach Gary Wright • With the Yellow Jackets, Large helped coach a pair of all-conference honorees and recruited AIC’s first players from the prestigious United States Hockey League, as well as a three-time Atlantic Hockey Scholar-Athlete of the Year • Four-year letterwinner at Ferris State (2000-04) • Totaled 19 goals and 14 assists in 129 career games under the guidance of veteran head coach Bob Daniels • Named the team’s Most Improved Player in 2001 • Helped the Bulldogs capture the 2003 CCHA regular-season championship and first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance • Large and his wife, Molly, are the proud parents of two children: Broderick and Harper • Wife, Molly, also attended Ferris State, where she was a member of the women’s basketball program

Smith has enjoyed a number of memorable moments during his coaching tenure and has continued to raise the bar while leading the Canisius program. Most recently, Smith has led the Griffs to three-straight trips to Atlantic Hockey Championship weekend for the first time in school history, including consecutive appearances in the title game and the teams first crown in 2013. The program has also received national attention with its graduates having unprecedented success at the professional level. During the 2012-13 campaign, Smith guided Canisius to the programs first conference title with a 7-2 victory in the Atlantic Hockey Championship against Mercyhurst and the teams first appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament. The Griffs also finished the campaign ranked 19th in the final USCHO.com national poll, marking the programs highest finish in the national rankings. Canisius nearly duplicated the remarkable feat the following two seasons, advancing to the 2014 Atlantic Hockey title game after again eliminating the top two seeds in the conference tournament before earning a second-place finish in 2015 matching the programs best regular-season finish and making a third-straight trip to the semifinals. Away from campus, 2011 graduate Cory Conacher continued to make news at the highest level. Named one of the top 30 players at the Division I level in the last 10 seasons, Conacher became the first Griff to play in the National Hockey League and has enjoyed stints with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders. Conacher also became just the fourth player in AHL history to garner Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year accolades in the same season, helping lead the Norfolk Admirals to the 2012 Calder Cup just one year after graduating from Canisius and excelling under Smiths leadership. The achievements under Smith are not limited to just the past four years. In his first 11 seasons leading the Golden Griffin program, he has guided numerous student-athletes to success both on and off the ice. The Griffs have collected athletic and academic honors as well as enjoying successful careers after graduation. The highlights include: A total of 33 Griffs have signed professional contracts after playing under Smith at Canisius, highlighted by Conacher and defender Carl Hudson inking NHL deals. Hudson became the first Griff to join an NHL franchise when he signed with the Florida Panthers after graduating in 2010. Smith has mentored three student-athletes who have earned individual postseason awards. Conacher highlights the honorees by being named the 2009-10 Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year, while David Kasch earned the leagues Best Defensive Forward following the 2007-08 season and Dave Kostuch collected Rookie of the Year accolades in 2008-09. Conacher and Kyle Gibbons were also selected to the Senior CLASS Award All-America First Team in 2011 and 2014, respectively, while Conacher was named to the All-Atlantic Hockey 10th Anniversary First Team in 2013. Overall, 10 Griffs earned all-conference accolades in the past eight seasons a total of 13 times, nine more than Canisius first 10 seasons at the Division I level combined. During the 2014-15 campaign, a school-record three Griffs earned All-Atlantic Hockey honors when Chris Rumble collected first-team accolades, while Keegan Asmundson and Ralph Cuddemi were named to the second team. Cuddemi repeated the honor during the 2015-16 season to become the third Griff to earn All-Atlantic Hockey accolades twice during his career, while Shane Conacher was named to the first team. Canisius student-athletes have consistently ranked among the best in the country under Smiths leadership. Goaltender Tony Capobianco led all players in Division I with 1,256 saves during the 2012-13 campaign, which also ranks as the 12th-best total in NCAA history and the most since the 1988-89 season. Conacher ranked second nationally in points per game during the 2009-10 campaign after recording a program-record 53 points. The Griffs have enjoyed unparalleled success against some of the nations top competition under Smiths watch. During the 2008-09 season, Canisius swept a pair of games against eventual NCAA quarterfinalist and 15th-ranked Air Force, marking the first victories for the Griffs against a nationally-ranked opponent. Canisius has continued the trend in recent years with six wins against nationally-ranked schools, most recently against perennial-power Denver during the 2013-14 campaign. In his first 11 seasons, 186 Griffs have earned Atlantic Hockey All-Academic accolades, including a school-record 23 following the 2013-14 campaign. In addition, Max Buetow (2005-06), Dave Cianfrini (2009-10), Ryan Bohrer (2011-12 & 2013-14), Stephen Miller (2012-13 & 2013-14) and Geoff Fortman (2014-15 & 2015-16) were named the Atlantic Hockey Top Scholar Athlete for owning the top GPA in the league. The hockey program consistently owns the top GPA of any team at Canisius with a 3.31 cumulative mark following the 2015-16 academic year. Canisius has also enjoyed a long history of success at the professional level outside of playing the game, highlighted most recently by two-time Griff captain Peter MacDougall 10 being named an NHL referee in 2016. Smith became the programs third head coach on April 15, 2005 after serving the previous three seasons as the associate coach and recruiting coordinator at fellow Atlantic Hockey member Mercyhurst College. He also spent time as an assistant coach with Bowling Green and Miami. During his tenure as an assistant coach, Smith coached or recruited: Two Hobey Baker Award Finalists Four Players of the Year Two Rookies of the Year 22 all-league award winners Three Terry Flanagan Award Winners for Perseverance The Arthur, Ontario, native was also instrumental in guiding Mercyhurst to two league championships and two NCAA Division I Tournament appearances in his three seasons with the Lakers. Smith graduated from The Ohio State University in 1992 with a bachelors degree in journalism/public relations and was a four-year letterwinner for the Buckeyes. Smith finished his career at Ohio State with 140 points, ranking 14th all-time. He was selected as team captain as a junior and chosen as the teams MVP as a senior, while leading the Buckeyes with 41 assists and 63 points. After graduating from Ohio State, Smith spent six seasons in professional hockey, including five full seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) and the International Hockey League (IHL) and a brief period in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). He was under contract with the New York Rangers in 1994-95. Smith has spent his summers coaching young players and adults as a director and head instructor at numerous camps across the United States and Canada. In addition to his responsibilities at Canisius, Smith serves on the board of directors at College Hockey Inc. Smith and his wife, Susan, have two daughters, Ellis and Kylie. Susan is the Director for Interdisciplinary Degree Programs at the University at Buffalo, while Ellis is a member of the hockey program at Manhattanville College and Kylie plays softball for Nazareth College. 

• Named an assistant coach with the Golden Griffin hockey program in July 2021. • Helped the program capture its second Atlantic Hockey Association championship in 2022-23 as the squad advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history • Instrumental in the development of the team’s defenseman and its power-play unit while also serving as the program’s recruiting coordinator • Coached the power play to a top-20 national ranking in 2024-25, converting on nearly 23 percent of its man-advantage opportunities (.226)  • Made his way to Main Street after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Atlantic Hockey Association rival Holy Cross (2019-21) • In his two seasons with the Crusaders, Mobley served as the program’s recruiting coordinator and headed the skills development program for the team’s forwards • He aided in the development of All-AHA Eastern Pod Second Team selection Matt Slick and was also influential in the maturation of a forward group that saw three players record double-digit goals during the 2019-20 campaign • Spent the 2018-19 season as a volunteer coach at Notre Dame • Aided the Fighting Irish coaching staff during a highly successful campaign that saw the team earn a No. 1 national ranking, capture the B1G Ten Tournament Championship and advance to the finals of the NCAA Northeast Regional • Prior to his time in South Bend, Mobley worked for four seasons at Hamilton College as an assistant coach (2014-18) • Oversaw the Continentals’ individual skill development and coached the team’s penalty kill unit, which ranked among the top five nationally in that category in back-to-back seasons. • As the co-head of recruiting at Hamilton, Mobley was instrumental in helping construct the 2016-17 squad that captured the NESCAC Regular Season Championship, won its first NCAA Tournament game and advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history • A member of the NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year, Mobley helped the Continentals set program records in both wins (22) and goals scored (92) during the 2016-17 season while also ranking among the top five teams nationally in scoring defense (1.86) • Began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater, St. Lawrence (2013-14) • A four-year letterwinner at St. Lawrence University (2008-12) • Earned the ECAC Student-Athlete award three times during his collegiate career (2010-2012) • He went on to play professionally in the FHL and SPHL after graduating with a history degree from St. Lawrence in 2012. • Native of Glendale, Ariz.  • Mobley and his wife, Beth, welcomed their first child, daughter Aila, in August of 2023