Cam Ellsworth enters his seventh season as the head coach of the men's hockey team in 2024-25.
Last season, Ellsworth led the Cadets to the #2 seed in the NEHC en route to earning his 100th-career victory in Norwich's regular-season finale victory over the University of Southern Maine. Five Cadets earned All-Conference nods, including Clark Kerner '25, Sami Molu '27, and Bryce Walcrius '27, landing on the All-NEHC Third Team, while Cooper Bertrand '27 and Owen Slisizzi '27 were also on the All-Rookie Team, alongside Walcarius.
In 2022-23, he took the Cadets to the NCAA Tournament, their first since 2019-20 where they took home their second straight New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) Tournament title. In 2019-20, the Cadets set nine NCAA Division III single season and all-time records during one of the most dominant seasons in Norwich's 100-plus year history. Ellsworth was named the NEHC Coach of the Year and won his first Ed Jeremiah Award by the American Hockey Coaches Association to the National Division III Coach of the Year.
Norwich broke the NCAA Division III all-time record for the lowest goals-against average, 0.86 (24 goals in 28 games) under Ellsworth's defensive system.
He has compiled a 100-29-16 (.745 winning percentage) record and coached six AHCA All-Americans and 17 NEHC All-Conference selections.
Ellsworth also tutored Norwich's third overall and first Sid Watson, National Division III Player of the Year award winner since 2005 in Tom Aubrun '20. Aubrun set five NCAA Division III single-season and career records, including carrying a 572:31 consecutive shutout minute streak (nine games) into the NCAA Tournament that will now live in perpetuity.
Ellsworth led Norwich to the 2019 NCAA Division III National Championship game in his inaugural season, before falling to UW-Stevens Point 3-2 in overtime. Norwich posted a 23-5-3 record en route to winning the NEHC Tournament title and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
Ellsworth tutored goalie Tom Aubrun to an AHCA Third Team All-American selection, as well as the NEHC Goalie of the Year honor. After Aubrun's graduation came Drennen Atherton who took home NEHC Goalie of the Year in 2021-22 and 2022-23, and AHCA First Team All-American honors.
Ellsworth was named the 11th head coach in Norwich University men's ice hockey history on July 16, 2018. Ellsworth replaced the legendary Mike McShane, who led the Cadets to four national championships in his 23 years at the helm of the program.
Prior to Norwich, the Leamington, Ontario native spent seven years as an assistant coach at Division I UMass Lowell under Norm Bazin, including the last two years as the Associate Head Coach.
Ellsworth was one of the driving forces behind UMass Lowell's rapid ascension to the top of the Division I hockey world, including winning three Hockey East Tournament titles. UMass Lowell made five NCAA Tournament appearances in Ellsworth's seven seasons, highlighted by a third-place finish in 2012-13.
UMass Lowell won 21 or more games in six of seven seasons, including a 19-win difference (five to 24) in Ellsworth's first season in 2011-12 with Norm Bazin.
The 2012-13 season was the best season in UMass Lowell's 34-year history at the Division I level. The River Hawks went 28-11-2, swept the Hockey East regular season and tournament titles, as well as made the only Division I Frozen Four appearance in program history.
Ellsworth joined the River Hawks after spending three seasons (2008-2011) as an assistant coach with the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League. He also adds eight seasons of professional and collegiate experience as a goaltender for Michigan Technological University and several teams in the ECHL.
In his three seasons with Sioux City, Ellsworth recruited or coached 10 players drafted by the NHL and another 43 who committed to Division I hockey programs.
Ellsworth graduated from Michigan Tech with a B.S. in Business Administration in 2005. He was a four-year letter winner with the Huskies from 2001-05, where he still ranks as the program's all-time leader in games played (117) and saves (3,510).
He graduated in May 2017 from UMass Lowell with a master's degree in Business with a concentration in managerial leadership.
Ellsworth is married to his wife Julie, and they live in Northfield with their two kids, Asher and Addyson.
