Clarkson University Head Hockey Coach Casey Jones announced today that he has hired former Golden Knight standout defenseman Phil Roy as his top assistant.

Jones, who was named the Knights’ 11th head coach in mid-May, was very pleased to bring Roy back to Potsdam. “I am very excited to have Phil join our staff,” stated Jones. “He is an alum who has great passion for Clarkson University, the Hockey program, and the Potsdam Community. He is an up-and-coming coach who has great energy and work ethic.  His experience and the fact that he played defense made it a perfect fit.”

For the past three years Roy has served as an assistant at Merrimack College. During his time at Merrimack, Roy was very active in recruiting efforts that helped turn around the Warriors program. He also worked primarily with the defense and the power play unit, which was among the best in the country the past two seasons.

"This is a great opportunity coming back to my alma mater,” stated Roy. “My family and I are very excited. I have always paid attention to what was going on at Clarkson and hoped to one day return as a coach. Casey recruited me as a player and now I am coming back full circle. I look forward to working with Casey on the Clarkson coaching staff. I want to thank all the people at Merrimack, especially head coach Mark Dennehy, Athletic Director Glenn Hofmann and President Dr. Christopher Hopey for the opportunities they gave me. I am leaving a great program to return to my alma mater.”

Roy, who is bilingual, came to Merrimack after spending the 2007-08 season as the head coach for the Neumann College Knights. Roy guided the Division II Knights to a 17-9 record and a fourth place finish in the ECAC West Division.

Roy debuted in the coaching world as an assistant at Hobart College prior to the 2005-06 season. During his tenure there, the Statesmen set the school record for most wins in a season and appeared in the Division III Frozen Four for the first time ever. He mentored the program's first All-American defenseman and was a member of the coaching staff that garnered 6 All-ECAC West selections, 14 All-ECAC West Academic Honorees and 1 ESPN All-Academic First Team award winner. He was also a member of the 2006 coaching staff that received Coach of the Year honors from the ECAC West organization.

A productive offensive-minded defenseman, Roy played a key role in Clarkson’s success during the late 1990s. An excellent playmaker with great puck-handling skills, he recorded 77 career points, including 53 assists through 144 games from 1996-2000. The Knights won two ECAC Hockey Regular Season titles (1996-97 and 1998-99), claimed a conference tournament championship (1999) and made three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (1997, 1998, 1999) with Roy in the Green and Gold lineup.

After graduating from Clarkson in May of 2000 with an undergraduate degree in technical communications, Roy spent five years playing professional hockey in North America and Europe. He served as an assistant captain and assistant coach for the Diables Noirs de Tours in the France Elite League, where he led the league in scoring by a defenseman. He was also an assistant coach and a captain in the United Kingdom Elite League with the Basingstoke Bison. Prior to his European career, Roy played for the Johnstown Chiefs and Augusta Lynx of the East Coast Hockey League and for the St. John Flames and Cleveland Barons of the American Hockey League. He was named team Rookie of the Year by the Muskegon Fury and was selected to the UHL All-Rookie Team in 2000-01.

A St. Leonard, Quebec native, Roy and his wife Sonia with their daughter Makaelie, will make their home in the Potsdam area. Roy will officially start his duties at Clarkson on July 20.