TROY, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's hockey team has added volunteer assistant coach Liam Thrawl to its staff, it has been announced. Thrawl joins the staff of sixth-year head coach Dave Smith, along with full-time assistant coaches Mathias Lange and Chuck Weber for the upcoming season.

"Liam is a great addition to our staff," said Smith. "He is an intelligent and focused coach, who strives to make each individual player better during his time at RPI. His primary focus will be on skill development for players as well as video breakdown and on campus recruitment."

A 2021 graduate of Ohio State University, Thrawl was an assistant coach for the Midwest Blackbirds of the United Stats Premier Hockey League (USPHL) last season. There he was responsible for recruiting and developing players, creating daily practice plans, creating relationships with with potential sponsorship partners, running the team's social media accounts and game day operations, both for the team and fan experience.

Before joining the Blackbirds, Thrawl was a scout for the Utah Outliers (USPHL), attending amateur games and gathering information to pass on to the team's general manager and coaching staff. He also cut and edited videos as a teaching tool for the players on the roster. Since 2020, he has also scouted for Neutral Zone LLC, providing reports on amateur players in the state of Ohio.

Thrawl worked in the OSU athletic department as a student, joining the Street Team from 2020-21. He was tasked with promoting Buckeyes athletic events around the community, including Kidsfest and the Athletic Carnival. While in school, he had a remote internship with the Nashville Predators, helping the team plan its reopening of Ford Ice Arena to the public.

Playing for the Austin Bruins of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) in 2016-17, Thrawl collected three goals and three assists for six points in 34 games.

A native of Gurnee, Ill., Thrawl earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a major in Marketing and a minor in Organization and Performance from Ohio State in 2021.