SOUTH BEND, Ind. – With the conclusion of the 2024-25 Irish hockey season Saturday night, Brock Sheahan (‘08) has officially taken over as Catalino Family Head Hockey Coach, as announced by the University of Notre Dame Monday. A defenseman for the Irish from 2004-08, and a member of the program’s first Frozen Four team, Sheahan becomes the fifth head coach in modern Notre Dame hockey history. Sheahan succeeds Jeff Jackson who concluded his time behind the Irish bench as the winningest coach in program history and ranks ninth all-time in Division I men’s ice hockey head coaching wins with 601.
“The opportunity to lead the Notre Dame Hockey program is a dream come true for me and my family,” Sheahan said. “I will be forever grateful to Father Bob Dowd, John Veihmeyer, Jack Brennan, Pete Bevacqua, and the University of Notre Dame for this responsibility.
“The support of Coach Jackson through this entire process means so much to me. His faith in my ability to lead the program forward has been invaluable, and I know we will build on the foundation he, Coach Pooley, and Coach Slaggert have set over the last 20 years. The future of Notre Dame hockey is bright, and without the amazing work done by Coach Jackson, and his entire staff the program would not be where it is today.”
Details regarding an official introductory press conference will be announced in the coming days.
Sheahan was a member of Jackson’s original Irish team and helped lead the team to its first ever berth in the Frozen Four championship game as a senior defenseman in 2007-08. As a student-athlete at Notre Dame, Sheahan graduated with a degree in finance and served as alternate captain during his final season with the Blue and Gold.
He returned to the Irish as an Associate Head Coach prior to the 2023-24 season and has been instrumental in the development of a young roster. In 2024-25 the Irish saw sophomore Cole Knuble boast the highest point total of an Irish skater since the 2017-18 Frozen Four campaign as the center boasted 12 goals and 27 assists for 39 points. At the conclusion of the season, the sophomore class accounted for four of the top-seven scorers on the team as Danny Nelson (13-13-26), Paul Fischer (2-19-21) and Brennan Ali (7-12-19), along with Knuble, had career-best years.
Sheahan’s emphasis on player development in his first two seasons in a full-time coaching capacity at Notre Dame saw five graduating members sign professional…