Wilkes University Men's Ice Hockey

Tyler Hynes enters his seventh season as the head coach of Wilkes men's ice hockey in 2025-26 after being named the second head coach in the program's history in July 2019. Hynes ascended to the head role after serving one season as a graduate assistant for the Colonels. Hynes has a 94-46-6 record through six seasons. In his first season in 2019-20, Hynes led the Colonels to the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) championship with a perfect 6-0 record on the year within the conference and was named the MAC Co-Coach of the Year. The team also reached its first United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) Championship Series and finished with 19 wins. He mentored three All-UCHC selections including Co-Player of the Year Donald Flynn and six All-MAC selections including the Offensive Player of the Year in Tyler Barrow and the Co-Defensive Player of the Year in Michael Gurska. Flynn was also selected a CCM Hockey/AHCA First Team East All-American and was a finalist for the 2020 Sid Watson Award given by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) to the NCAA Division II-III Player of the Year. Flynn was named All-United States College Hockey Online (USCHO) Division III Second Team as an NCAA Statistical Champion after leading the nation with 27 total goals and 1.00 goals-per-game and 14 power-play tallies. Nick Fea earned a Third Team All-USCHO Division III selection and Gurska was named to the AHCA Second Team East All-American squad. In season one Hynes mentored 15 Academic All-Stars as selected by the AHCA including Gurska who was named a Krampade/AHCA Scholar All-American. Twenty-two Colonels were selected to the UCHC All-Academic Team. His third season in 2021-22 saw Hynes coach the Colonels to a program-record 20 wins and its second MAC Championship as he earned the MAC Coach of the Year award. Wilkes also made its second UCHC Final and finished the season ranked 10th in the final USCHO national poll. Flynn was named a CCM Hockey/AHCA Third Team East All-American and was an NCAA Statistical Champion with 1.33 assists-per-game. Flynn was named First Team All-UCHC and the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. Four players earned Second Team All-UCHC selections and seven total were named to the All-MAC team. Gurska was named the MAC Men's Ice Hockey Senior Scholar-Athlete in 2021-22 and seven players including Gurska were named Krampade/AHCA Academic All-Stars that season. In a shortened 2021 season, Hynes led the Colonels to a 7-4 record and the UCHC semifinals. He mentored two All-UCHC selections, Flynn and Barrow, and seven All-MAC selections including Offensive Player of the Year (Barrow). The 2022-23 season saw the Colonels earn the fifth seed and a spot in the UCHC quarterfinals with a 13-10-3 overall record. Five Colonels were named to the All-MAC team with one on the First Team and four on the Second Team. Goaltender Michael Paterson-Jones was named the MAC Men's Ice Hockey Senior Scholar-Athlete in 2022-23. In 2023-24, the Colonels earned the No. 3 seed for the UCHC tournament with an 18-9-0 record, reaching the semifinals. Four Colonels were selected to the All-UCHC team with one on the First Team and three on the Second Team. Defenseman Cole Jungwirth was also named a CCM/ACHA East Third Team All-American.  In 2024-25, the Colonels reached the finals of the first-ever MAC Men's Ice Hockey Championship, finishing the season with a 17-8-2 record. Six Colonels were selected to the All-MAC team with two on the First Team, one on the Second Team, and three Honorable Mentions. Defenseman Cole Jungwirth was named MAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, CCM/ACHA East Second Team All-American, USCHO.com Third Team All-American, and MAC Senior Scholar Athlete under Hynes' tutelage. Hynes came to Wilkes with several years of coaching experience, including stops at his alma mater Union College, Boston General Elite Prep Team and Paul Vincent Hockey program. He has served as the head coach of the Boston Generals Elite for two seasons while also working as assistant strength and conditioning coach at Union where he was responsible for coordinating and supervising off the field team and individual workouts for the lacrosse, field hockey, swim and softball teams. Hynes also served as the MAC goaltending coach where he worked with and developed goalies from the youth level up to Division III and Division I college athletes.   Hynes also has worked as a skills instructor with Capital District Youth Hockey providing on-ice skills, instructions and training for each youth hockey organization of the Capital District including Albany-Troy Youth Hockey, Schenectady Youth Hockey, Saratoga Youth Hockey, Clifton Park Youth Hockey and Dynamo Hockey. For his work with local hockey organizations Hynes received the Charles N. Morrison Award from Union Men's Hockey as a senior. The award is presented annually to the player who participated in extracurricular activities while demonstrating academic interest and achievement.   Hynes is no stranger to elite level hockey having played at Albany Academy where he was named an assistant captain and all-prep selection. From there Hynes went on to play four years at Division I Union College where he was a three-time ECAC Hockey All-Academic honoree before stints in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Omaha Lancers and Fargo Force. He was a two-year assistant captain in the USHL totaling 35 points on 20 goals and 15 assists in 59 games being named the team's outstanding forward with the Force.

Esau joins the Wilkes men's ice hockey staff as an assistant coach for the 2025-26 season. Prior to joining Wilkes, the Pittsburgh, Pa. native spent two seasons in the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) as the head coach of the Watertown Wolves in 2023 and the Dashers Hockey Club in 2025. Esau brings extensive experience as both a player and coach spanning over 30 years. As a player, he was a standout forward for North Allegheny Senior High School and the Pittsburgh Stars Junior A Hockey Club, which eventually led to him playing professionally for the Mobile Mystics of the ECHL in 1992, as well as the Las Vegas Aces of the PSHL from 1996-1997. After finishing his pro career, Esau began his coaching career where he has worked all over the country, from the high school level all the way up to professional hockey. He has led teams in the NA3HL, USPHL, WSHL, and GMHL.  He started as the head coach of the freshman hockey team at West Allegheny High School in 1997, before moving on to Bethel Park High School to become the head coach of their freshman hockey team in 1998. In 2000, Esau became an assistant coach for the Baltimore Stars Midget AA Hockey Club for one season, and the following year became the head coach of Baltimore Stars Bantam AA. During his three seasons at the helm, he compiled a 48-12 record and won three division titles. From 2005-14, Esau was the head coach for Shaler Area Varsity, Cannon McMillan Varsity AAA, Mars Junior Varsity, and Chartiers Valley Junior Varsity. In 2014, he became a regional scout for the Helena Bighorns of the NA3HL for one season, and then moved on to the Kalkaska Rhinos of the USPHL as an assistant coach from 2015-2016. In 2016-17, he took on the dual role of assistant coach and assistant general manager of the New York Junior Aviators. Starting in 2018, Esau continued to work as head coach and in the front office for various teams across multiple leagues. He spent the 2017-2018 season with the Kingsville Kings (GMHL), 2018-2019 with the Evansville Jr. Thunderbolts, 2019-2020 with the El Paso Rhinos (WSHL), 2020-2021 with the Yellowstone Quake, 2021-2022 with the Milwaukee Power, and 2022-2023 with the Texas Brahams (NA3HL). He received his associate degree from the Community College of Allegheny County in 1994, and attended the University of Pittsburgh.