Jim Tortorella - Director of Hockey Operations - Men's Ice Hockey Coaches

Jim Tortorella

Title:
Director of Hockey Operations
Email:
james.tortorella@unh.edu
Phone:
603-380-2299

Jim Tortorella is currently in his second season as the director of hockey operations for the UNH men's hockey program in 2025-26. Tortorella returned to UNH in 2024 where he was an assistant coach for two seasons (1993-95) and an associate head coach for three seasons (2011-2014).

Tortorella spent six seasons (2018-24) as an assistant coach at Harvard as the Crimson competed in the NCAA Tournament three times (2019, 2022 and 2023). He oversaw the defense, penalty killing and recruiting. Tortorella guided defenseman Adam Fox to an outstanding 2018-19 season in which he was a Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalist and was second in the nation in points per game with 3.52. Four times a Crimson defenseman earned All-America accolades during Tortorella’s time at Harvard.

In 2017-18, Tortorella was the head coach at Saint Anselm leading the Hawks to a 17-9-1 record and winning the Northeast 10 championship. The year prior, he served as a volunteer assistant at Providence College as the Friars advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Tortorella was the associate head coach at UNH from 2011-14 where he developed and coached current NHL players Trevor van Riemsdyk and Brett Pesce. In 2013, the Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Regional Final. Tortorella also organized and coached the Wildcats' defense and penalty kill that led the Hockey East and ranked second in the country in 2013, assisted in all aspects of recruiting and developed, implemented and managed all video technology and analytic systems.

Tortorella spent 16 seasons as the head coach at Colby College where he remains the program’s all-time winningest coach with a record of 230-138-33 (.617). At Colby, he coached 78 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) All-Academic choices, 20 NESCAC All-Stars and 16 All-Americans, while guiding the Mules to the league’s final four 10 times.

Colby was consistently ranked in the top-15 nationally under Tortorella and won the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship in 1997 for the first time in 30 years. He was twice named the NESCAC Coach of the Year (2005-06, 2007-08) and was also tabbed the New England Sports Writers Coach of the Year in 2007-08, as well as being a finalist for the National Division III Coach of the Year three times (1995-96, 2005-06, 2007-08).

In his first stint at UNH as an assistant coach from 1993-95, the ‘Cats qualified for the NCAA Tournament in both seasons advancing to the Regional Final in 1994.

Tortorella has also worked with USA Hockey as the Director of New England Select Teams Player Development (1997-2003, 2008-15) and has coached at two stints with the USA World Junior Team (1999, 2000). He has also been highly involved with the American Hockey Coaches Association, including serving as the association's president (2002-03). Tortorella currently holds a master certificate from USA Hockey, the organization's highest level of coaching education achievement.

Tortorella, a former standout goalie at the University of Maine, began his coaching career at Brunswick High School (1984-87) before moving on to Cony High School, where he was a two-time State of Maine Coach of the Year in five seasons.