John Ronan returns for his 12th season as a coach with the Union College men's hockey team in 2025-26. Ronan served as a volunteer assistant coach during Union's 2013-14 national championship season, then rejoined the staff in a full-time capacity in 2016. He served as interim head coach of the program for the final 17 games of the 2021-22 season, guiding the team to a Mayor's Cup victory over rival Rensselaer.
In 2024-25, Ronan helped guide Union to a 19-14-3 record and a top-four finish in the ECAC Hockey standings with a 12-8-2 conference mark, the program's most conference wins in a season since 2017-18 and the sixth most in Union's Division I era. The team started off the year with a 6-1-0 record to earn the program's first national ranking since 2019 and spent much of the year receiving votes in the USCHO rankings. Highlights of the season included keeping the Mayors' Cup trophy in Schenectady for the fourth straight year and bringing the Capital Skates Trophy back home for the first time since 2017 with a season sweep of RPI, as well as sweeping the season series from Cornell University for the first time since 2013-14.
Ronan was a key part of the offense averaging 3.32 goals a game in the 2023-24 season, which finished 13th in the nation. He also worked with the power-play unit that ranked 27th with a 21.2 percent efficiency. Senior Liam Robertson scored the first Union hat trick in almost seven years to help defeat Colgate on home ice. Robertson scored seven of Union's 31 power-play goals and was named a member of ECAC Hockey Second Team.
Ronan took over the reins on an interim basis during the tumultuous 2021-22 season and helped to steady the team and the program over the final two months of the year, guiding the team to an 8-8-1 record, a first-round sweep of Princeton in the ECAC Hockey Tournament and a pair of overtime losses to nationally ranked Clarkson in the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals.
In his first season back in Schenectady in 2016-17, the Dutchmen ranked fourth in Division I in goals per game (3.76) and 12th in power play percentage (21.1 percent), while senior forward Mike Vecchione and junior forward Spencer Foo finished first and fourth in the nation in scoring, respectively. Vecchione and Foo were both named Hobey Baker Top-10 Finalists, and Vecchione became the program's first-ever Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalist.
Ronan returned to Union after spending one season at Mercyhurst University in 2015-16, helping lead the Lakers to an overall record of 17-15-4. He worked primarily with the forwards and power play, helping produce the league's fourth-highest scoring offense (3.00 goals per game) and the third most efficient power play (18.5 percent).
Prior to his tenure with the Lakers, Ronan was as an assistant coach with the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League (USHL), winning the 2015 Anderson Cup Championship and helping develop the league's top scoring forward lines and fourth-best power play unit. Off the ice, Ronan handled player scouting, recruiting, drafting, travel planning, and community involvement among other duties.
During the 2013-14 season, Ronan was a volunteer assistant coach with the Dutchmen, helping the program to a Whitelaw Cup, a Cleary Cup and the program's first-ever national title. During the season, his primary responsibilities were the power play and forward lines, which finished second in the country in scoring offense.
A native of South Boston, Mass., Ronan skated four seasons (2001-05) at the University of Maine. As a forward for the Black Bears, Ronan compiled 25 goals, 22 assists and 47 points in 132 career games. He was named team captain as a senior and earned a Bachelor of University Studies from Maine in 2013.
Ronan played seven full seasons in the professional ranks, spending time with the Alaska Aces (ECHL), Florida Everblades (ECHL), Rocky Mountain Rage (CHL), Austin Ice Bats (CHL), Evansville IceMen (CHL), Flint Generals (IHL) and Huntsville Havoc (SPHL). John also had a stint with the Netherlands-based Geleen Smoke Eaters.
John resides in Clifton Park with his wife Robin and daughter Camryn.
