A 2003 graduate of Rensselaer, where he played four years as a forward for the Engineers, Nolan Graham joined the men's hockey staff as an assistant coach prior to the 2010-11 season.
Prior to returning to Troy, Graham spent a season as the general manager and head coach of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs Junior A Hockey Club in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) in Canada. In addition to managing the operations of the team, he led it to a regular season conference championship with a franchise single season record 45 wins (45-12-2-1) and its best playoff finish ever, advancing to the third round. He was named the BCHL Coach of the Year.
In his one season with Alberni Valley, Graham developed nine Division I student-athletes, including incoming RPI forward Johnny Rogic, the Bulldogs’ first-ever National Hockey League (NHL) draft pick in Mark MacMillen (113th overall by the Montreal Canadiens) and an NHL free agent signee.
Before to being hired by the Bulldogs, Graham spent three years with the Nanaimo Clippers of the BCHL as an assistant coach and director of marketing. His assistant coach responsibilities included recruiting, practice planning, on-ice instruction and player evaluations. In that role he helped the team to regular season championships in 2007 & 2008 and the 2007 playoff title.
Graham played collegiately for RPI from 1999-03, totaling 77 points (27 goals, 50 assists) and 130 penalty minutes in 140 games. His best season statistically came in 2000-01 when he scored 11 goals with 14 assists in 29 games. He helped the Engineers to two 20-win seasons and two appearances in the ECAC Final Five in Lake Placid, including the 2000 championship game.
A native of Nanaimo, B.C., Graham went on to play three years of professional hockey, spending time in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), the Australian Ice Hockey League and the Central Hockey League (CHL). He was the team most valuable player for Newcastle, who he led to the 2005 National Championship in Australia, and the CHL All-Star Game MVP in 2006.
Graham earned a Bachelor of Science in Management from Rensselaer in 2003.
