The University of Mary hockey team promoted Aaron Nelson to Assistant Hockey Coach in July 2020. A familiar face to Marauders fans, Nelson earned 1st team ACHA DII All-American honors at goaltender during UMary’s incredible inaugural hockey season in 2018-19. He joined the UMary coaching staff as a graduate assistant in 2019-20 and helped the Marauders earn an automatic berth to the 2020 ACHA DII national championships as the top overall seed out of the West region.
In addition to his All-American honors, Nelson also earned ACHA Academic All-American recognition and received ACHA DII All-West Region 1st team and Player of the Year honors in his lone season at UMary.
A native of Bismarck, ND, Nelson competed locally for Century High School, played three seasons with the Bismarck Bobcats of the NAHL and was a four-year letterwinner at NCAA Division I Minnesota State University, Mankato before finishing his playing career with the Marauders.
“It has been a pleasure coaching and working alongside Aaron the last two seasons,” said Marauders Head Coach Dan Huntley. “I can’t think of a better person to offer this position to. Aaron put his trust in me and in our program when he transferred to the University of Mary and I am anxious to have him fully invested in our program as a coach and mentor to our ambitious young men. Well-known in the community, the players respect Aaron so the transition will be much easier after spending a year as a graduate assistant with us.”
As the Marauders graduate assistant coach for the 2019-20 season, Nelson helped mentor his backup from the previous season, Lance Knudson, into the program’s second ACHA All-American goaltender. Nelson will be leaned upon again to this season to mentor the Marauders three young goalies, sophomores Kyle Hayden and Maysion Mattern and incoming freshman Conan Hayton. He will also continue to help run the defense and special teams, both areas in which UMary excelled during the Marauders first two seasons of play, ranking among the nation’s best in goals against average and penalty kill efficiency.
UMary finished the 2019-20 season with a record of 39-9-0-2, remaining at the top of the ACHA DII West Region in every poll and gaining the region’s top seed to the national tournament. The Marauders also spent five weeks at the top of the national rankings and outscored opponents 261-91.
In his lone season with the Marauders, Nelson set the bar high. An assistant captain on the school’s inaugural team in 2018-19, Nelson was honored as an ACHA Men’s DII First Team All-American and the ACHA Men’s DII West Region First Team and Player of the Year. He helped lead the Marauders to a record of 39-5-2-1 by posting a mark of 21-5-1-1 in net. He led ACHA DII in wins, appearances (29) and minutes played (1699:40). He ranked sixth in the nation with a 1.66 goals against average while registering a save percentage of .941. His five shutouts tied teammate Lance Knudson for the second-most in the nation.
During his time at Minnesota State, Nelson posted a 6-2-1 record with a 2.53 goals against average and a .898 saves percentage. He was a three-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete selection and was named to the WCHA All-Academic team three times. Nelson earned WCHA Defensive Player of the Week during the 2016-17 season.
Prior to his time at MSU, Nelson spent three seasons with the Bismarck Bobcats of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) earning a record of 83-33-0. He helped the Bobcats to two Robertson Cup playoff appearances and played in the 2013 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament.
Nelson has a bachelor’s degree from MSU in Biology and completed his MBA at the University of Mary in 2020. He also works for Goalrobber Hockey Schools and Lamoureux Hockey Schools.
