UConn men’s hockey filled the vacancy on its coaching staff, announcing Alex Westlund as its new assistant on Monday. He’ll replace Vince Stalletti as the goaltending coach and will also focus on recruiting.
“We’re excited to add Alex to our program,” UConn head coach Mike Cavanaugh said in a release. “He’s an experienced coach who brings valuable knowledge from the NHL, AHL, and Team USA. His enthusiasm for the game will be contagious, and we look forward to having him on our team.”
Westlund arrives
in Storrs with an impressive resume, having served as the goalie coach for the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings over the last three seasons following a five-year stint with the AHL’s Hershey Bears. He was also in charge of Team USA’s goaltending at the 2024 IIHF Championship.
A native of Flemington Village, New Jersey, the 49-year old Westlund played at Yale from 1995-99. He helped the Bulldogs win the Ivy League championship in both 1998 and 1999, earning Second Team All-American honors as a junior, and owns program records for games played (99) and career saves (2,704).
After graduating, Westlund amassed over 750 professional games between the pipes across 16 seasons in North America, Europe and Asia. He earned a spot on Team USA’s 2004 World Championship team that won bronze, then later was named MVP of Austria’s EBEL with Black Wings Linz. He won the league title with the same club in 2011-12.
Westlund does not have any coaching experience at the college level nor any clear ties to Cavanaugh. Along from Yale, he does have one other Connecticut connection: He played seven games with the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2006-07, owning a 2.38 GAA and .918 save percentage.
UConn needed a new goalie coach after Stalletti departed in July to take the same job with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. Westlund will join a staff that features Cavanaugh, associate head coach Tyler Helton and second-year assistant Nick Peruzzi.
