Hamilton College

Rob Haberbusch, who was hired in July 2011, is Hamilton College’s sixth head men's hockey coach since 1918. In 2024-25 he guided the Continentals to perhaps their best season in team history. Hamilton finished 21-7-1 and led the NESCAC with a 13-4-1 record in the regular season. The Continentals defeated Connecticut College in the NESCAC quarterfinals (5-2) and Middlebury in the semifinals (3-2 in double OT) and captured their first NESCAC title with a 3-0 win over Tufts in the final at a packed Sage Rink. Hamilton advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA championship after a 4-2 victory at University of New England. The season came to a close at top-ranked Curry College. Hamilton won nine games in a row en route to a team-record 21 and finished the season ranked eighth in the USCHO.com Division III Top 15 poll and ninth in the NCAA Power Index. Three Continentals collected all-America team honors and one was a finalist for Division III player of the year. Hamilton put five players on the all-conference team including the player of the year and defensive player of the year. Haberbusch was voted NESCAC Coach of the Year by his peers.

The Rob Haberbusch File

Hamilton Head Coach (2011-present) 

• 163 wins in 13 seasons, including a 62-35-5 record over the last four
• Made two trips to the NCAA championship and advanced to the quarterfinals both times (2017, 2025)
• Mentored four athletes to six all-America selections and the 2017 American Hockey Coaches Association Sid Watson Award for the most outstanding Division III player
• Directed the Continentals to a spot in the NESCAC championship quarterfinals 12 times and won the 2025 title
• Twice named a finalist for the Edward Jeremiah Award, which is presented annually to the top NCAA Division III coach (2017, 2025)
• Two NESCAC Coach of the Year Awards (2017, 2025)
• Awarded Hamilton's Jerome Gottlieb '64 Fellowship for Exemplary Coaching in 2025 in recognition of his leadership and impact on the men's hockey team.
• Boasted two NESCAC players of the year, two rookies of the year and a defensive player of the year
• His players have received 28 all-conference and more than 120 NESCAC winter all-academic team honors
• Two players on the USCHO.com Division III All-Rookie Team
• In 2017-18 the Continentals posted a 15-7-3 record, were ranked as high as fifth, finished second in Division III in scoring defense and third on the penalty kill, and had a student-athlete on the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America Division III Men's At-Large Team for the second year in a row
• In 2016-17 Hamilton opened the season by going unbeaten through the first 13 games, finished with a record of 20-5-4, received the team’s first NCAA bid, and defeated SUNY Oswego in the first round at Oswego
• The Continentals also finished first in the final NESCAC regular season standings at 11-3-4, hosted and played in the NESCAC championship final for the first time, and had the 2017 Sid Watson Award winner and NESCAC player of the year in goaltender Evan Buitenhuis '18
• In 2015-16 Hamilton was nationally ranked in late January and early February thanks to an 11-game unbeaten streak that lasted from early December until Jan. 30, and had a player on the D3hockey.com all-region team
• Coached the College’s class valedictorian in 2015 and 2019 and 10 Phi Beta Kappa inductees

U.S. Military Academy (Army) Assistant Coach (2003-08); Associate Head Coach (2008-11)

• Helped guide Army to 83 wins in eight seasons in Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) play
• In 2007-08 Army won 19 games, including a team-record 17 in the AHA, earned the Atlantic Hockey regular season title for its first championship of any kind in men's hockey
• Army went 17-12-5 overall and advanced to the AHA championship game in 2006-07
• Worked under Rob Riley (head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets' AHL affiliate Springfield Falcons) and Brian Riley (AHA coach of the year in 2006, 2007 and 2008)
• Part of the Army Athletic Association's coaching staff of the year in 2008
• Claimed the AHA team sportsmanship award in 2009 and 2010
• Played a major role in Army's recruitment of one NHL free agent signee, one all-American, one AHA player of the year, one AHA goalie of the year, one AHA defenseman of the year, 14 all-conference selections and three all-rookie team members
• 2007, 2010 and 2011 AHA Scholar-Athletes of the Year were all recruited by Haberbusch

Other Coaching Experience

• Assistant coach at Iona College for 2002-03 season
• Assistant at the University of Findlay from 1997 to 2002

Student-Athlete at Fairfield
Played college hockey from 1989 to 1993 and was a four-year letter winner at forward

Other Information

• Grew up in Montclair, N.J.
• Received his bachelor's degree from Fairfield and his master's degree from Findlay
• Haberbusch and his wife Molly have a daughter, Shelby, and reside in Clinton