Colette Youlen began as an assistant coach for the Engineers in 2006-07. Among her primary responsibilities are working with the forwards, assisting with the special teams and leading the team’s recruiting efforts.
Last year saw Rensselaer post a 16-15-6 record with an 11-7-4 mark in ECAC Hockey. The team advanced to the conference semifinals for the second straight season, led by four forwards in the top-five in scoring. Among the squad's top performers was senior captain Allison Wright, who posted 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points. Additionally, senior Whitney Naslund was named to the All-ECAC Hockey Third Team, becoming the first Division I player for the Engineers to record 100 career points.
Youlen helped mentor the Engineers to their most successful season since joining Division I in 2008-09. The Engineers finished as the conference’s runner--up at the league tou
rnament, led by four forwards in the top-five in scoring. Rensselaer finished with a 19-14-4 record, including an 11-8-3 ECAC Hockey mark. Among the top performers was freshman Alisa Harrison, who led the team in both assists and points. She was also an ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team selection.
The Engineers posted a 13-15-5 record in 2007-08, which included a 6-12-4 league mark. RPI, which was saw eight of the team’s 12 forwards finish in the top-10 in scoring, also boasted an ECAC Hockey best 20 student-athletes on the All-Academic Team.
In 2006-07, Rensselaer went 12-22-1 in its inaugural ECAC Hockey season, which included an 8-13-1 league mark and an appearance in the quarterfinals. Nine forwards occupied the top-ten in scoring, including leading scorer Whitney Naslund, a freshman, who posted 28 points (11-17-28) in 35 games.
A native of Warburg, Alb., Youlen spent four years as an assistant coach with the women’s hockey program at the University of New Hampshire.
During her tenure she helped guide the Wildcats to three regular season Hockey East titles as well as an appearance in three league tournament title games. In 2005-06, New Hampshire finished 33-3-1 and captured its third regular season title, the league tournament title and appeared in the Women’s NCAA Frozen Four.
Prior to joining UNH, Youlen spent a year as an assistant coach at the University of Findlay (2001-02).
As a player, Youlen played forward at Cornell, where she was the team’s Rookie of the Year in 1997 and served as an assistant captain during her final year. She was an All-ECAC selection as a sophomore, leading the Big Red in goals (24), assists (12) and points (36). She finished sixth in the ECAC in scoring.
In 104 career games, Youlen, who was a nominee for the 2000 Hockey Humanitarian Award, recorded 56 goals and 40 assists for 96 points.
Following her college career, she played for the Reinach Women’s Hockey Club in Switzerland, where she captured the league scoring title and led the team to the Swiss Championship. She has also represented Canada on the international stage, helping the 1996 Under–19 National Team to a silver medal.
She’s a graduate of Cornell in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Marketing. She went on to earn her M.B.A. in Sport and Event Management from Findlay in 2002.
Youlen and her husband, Kyle, reside in Halfmoon.
