Staff

Mark Morris

Head Coach

Morris, 51, has been the bench boss for the Manchester Monarchs for three seasons. During his tenure, he completed his first season as the head coach of the Monarchs by tying a franchise record for the most wins (51) and points (110) in team history. He and his staff led the team to the club’s most successful post-season to date, the Eastern Conference Final of the 2007 Calder Cup Playoffs.

Prior to being named head coach of the Monarchs, Morris began his professional hockey coaching career when he served as the Special Assistant Coach/Interim Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Vancouver Canucks from February 2003 to April 2003 under current Dallas Stars Head Coach Marc Crawford. Morris moved on to be the Interim Assistant Coach for the Saginaw Spirit Hockey Club of the Ontario Hockey League from November 2003 to March 2004.

Morris has spent a majority of his coaching career with the Clarkson University Golden Knights which he led to 10 consecutive 20-plus win seasons during his 14 year reign as the head coach. Hired by Clarkson in 1988, Morris compiled an overall record of 306-156-42 in 504 regular season games and a playoff record of 39-19-1. His teams appeared in 14 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference tournaments, five ECAC League championships, three ECAC tournament championships, nine NCAA tournament appearances, one Frozen Four appearance, three Quarterfinal appearances and five First Round appearances. He is the winningest coach in the history of Clarkson University. His teams won eight ECAC titles in his 14 seasons as head coach. Morris received the ECAC Coach of the Year Award in 1991 and 2001. Twice he was a finalist for the prestigious Spenser Penrose Award, an honor bestowed upon the nation’s top collegiate hockey coach. In 1999, his team won the first ever Humanitarian Award for their part in assisting their community with the devastating ice storm which hit the Northeast that winter.

Morris has coached five Olympians, three Hobey Baker Finalists and 12 NHL players including Stanley Cup champions Erik Cole (Carolina Hurricanes), Todd Marchant (Anaheim Ducks) and Kent Huskins (San Jose Sharks). Other current NHL players Morris coached include: Los Angeles Kings’ Davis Drewiske, Erik Ersberg, Peter Harrold, Teddy Purcell, Jonathan Quick and John Zeiler, Calgary Flames’ Craig Conroy, Edmonton Oilers’ Patrick O’Sullivan, New York Islanders’ Tim Jackman, New York Rangers’ Brian Boyle, Philadelphia Flyers’ Randy Jones, Phoenix Coyotes’ Jason LaBarbera, Vancouver Canucks’ Willie Mitchell, Atlanta Thrashers’ Todd White and Washington Capitals’ captain Chris Clark. Morris also coached Jarmo Kekalainen who now serves as Assistant General Manager of the St. Louis Blues.

Prior to joining the Monarchs in July of 2006, Morris was the Director of Boy’s Hockey, the Boy’s Junior Hockey Coach and an Administrator (Admissions and Advancement) for Northwood School for two seasons. In 2004-05, Northwood finished the season with a record of 32-11-4. The following season, his team set a new school record for most wins in a season with a record of 40-8-0.

Morris is a 1977 graduate of Northwood School and a 1981 graduate of Colgate University. He lettered in hockey and golf. After graduation, Morris played three years of professional hockey. As a defenseman, he played for both the Central Hockey League’s Dallas Black Hawks and the AHL’s New Haven Nighthawks between 1981-1984. He began his coaching career with Union College as the Men’s Varsity Hockey Assistant Coach and Junior Varsity Coach for the 1984-85 season. That season the Dutchmen won the ECAC West Division II Championship. They were also Semi-Finalists in the NCAA Division III Championship.

Preceding his 14-year reign at Clarkson University, Morris served as the Men’s Varsity Hockey Assistant Coach for the St. Lawrence University Saints for three seasons, 1985-88. The team made two ECAC playoff appearances, two NCAA playoff appearances and lost a double-overtime thriller to Lake Superior State University in the Frozen Four finals in 1988 at Lake Placid.

Morris and his wife Cecily reside in Massena, New York and Manchester, New Hampshire. They are proud parents of four children, Michael, Emily, Leah and Kevin.