Former Ferris State All-American goaltender Taylor Nelson was named an assistant coach with the Golden Griffins hockey program in July 2017.
In his first campaign at Canisius, Nelson helped guide Canisius to a 19-17-2 overall record and a second-place finish in Atlantic Hockey with a 17-11 mark in conference play as the Griffs advanced to the semifinals of the Atlantic Hockey Tournament for the second consecutive season and fifth time in the past six campaigns.
Goaltender Daniel Urbani excelled under Nelson’s tutelage as he finished the 2017-18 season third on the program’s single-season wins chart with 17. Urbani also ranked among the league’s top goaltenders in save percentage (.918/5th) and goals against average (2.74/7th).
The 2018-19 season saw the Griffs become the first Atlantic Hockey school to defeat perennial power North Dakota as it swept the Fighting Hawks in a non-conference series at Harborcenter. Canisius also posted victories against NCAA Tournament participants Clarkson and AIC and recorded a tie at nationally-ranked Union.
Canisius goaltenders were recognized a total of four times for their play during the campaign, with junior Blake Weyrick being named AHA Goaltender of the Week twice and freshman Matt Ladd garnering AHA Rookie of the Week accolades on two occasions.
In 2019-20, Nelson helped guide one of the youngest teams in the nation to double-digit wins as the program reached the milestone for the 13th consecutive season. Newcomer Jacob Barczewski was a two-time AHA Rookie of the Week selection while Ladd garnered AHA Goalie of the Week honors for the first time in his career.
During the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, Nelson helped lead the Griffs to an 11-6-0 overall record and the program’s third appearance in the championship game of the AHA Tournament. Canisius’ goaltending continued to improve under Nelson’s guidance as Barczewski was named an All-AHA Western Pod First Team selection as well as the pod’s Goaltending Champion. Ladd was also recognized for his play during the campaign, as he was tabbed a nominee for the Mike Richter Award while also garnering AHA Goalie of the Week honors after a sweep of longtime rival Mercyhurst in early January.
Nelson made his way to Buffalo after two seasons as an assistant coach with the Tri-City Storm of the United States Hockey League (USHL) under former head coach and current University of Michigan Associate Head Coach Bill Muckalt.
In his two seasons with the Storm, Nelson helped Tri-City capture the Clark Cup in 2016 and played a key part in the development of Storm netminders Jake Kielly and Dayton Rasmussen.
Kielly, now a member of the Vancouver Canucks organization, set the USHL record with a .950 save percentage during the 2016 Clark Cup playoffs, posting a 9-2 record in the postseason to go along with a franchise-record 1.64 goals against average. Kielly also recorded the best save percentage in the Storm's regular-season history (.919) while also posting a 21-7-5-3 mark and a 2.33 goals against average.
In addition, five members of the Storm roster were invited to the 2016 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, the most of any USHL team. Tri-City also had a league-high three players named to United States World Jr. A Challenge Team that won the gold medal at the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup.
Nelson began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach at Ferris State in 2014-15, helping with the team’s video preparation, goaltenders, and scouting reports.
A goaltender during his four-year collegiate career with the Bulldogs, Nelson backstopped the school to its only Frozen Four appearance in 2011-12, garnering AHCA/CCM Hockey All-American First Team honors.
Nelson played in 31 games during Ferris State’s run to the 2012 national championship game, finishing his senior season with a 21-7-3 record and a 2.10 goals-against-average. He was named the Midwest Region MVP after winning back-to-back games against Denver and Cornell, limiting both teams to one goal in each of the Bulldogs’ two regional contests to earn a berth in the Frozen Four. Nelson was named the school’s male “Bulldog of the Year” award recipient for the 2011-12 academic year.
Following his collegiate career, Nelson played 73 professional games over two seasons, spending time with the ECHL’s San Francisco Bulls in 2012-13 before going to the Wichita Thunder of the CHL the following season.
A native of Regina, Saskatchewan, Nelson received his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Ferris State in 2012. He and his wife, Claire, have two sons, Sutter and Nash, and a daughter, Nori.
