Johnny McElaney enters his first season with the Alaska Nanooks men's ice hockey program in 2026-27, joining head coach Erik Largen's staff with experience in collegiate coaching, recruiting, player development and hockey analytics. McElaney most recently served as an assistant coach at Colby College, where he led recruiting efforts, evaluated prospects, coordinated admissions and coached the defensive corps. He also developed video breakdowns and opponent pre-scouts, led individual and small-group skill sessions, and assisted with in-game strategy.
Before joining Colby, McElaney co-founded McElaney Hockey Skills, providing individualized development plans and on-ice training for players at the youth, prep, junior, collegiate and professional levels. He also gained NHL experience as a hockey operations intern with the Montreal Canadiens in 2023, contributing to scouting reports, player evaluations, contract analysis and roster-building efforts while working with the club's scouting and analytics departments.
McElaney began his collegiate coaching career after graduating from Colby College in 2024, where he earned a bachelor's degree in sociology and economics and served as a two-year captain of the men's hockey team. He earned All-NESCAC Second Team honors and was recognized as an AHCA Academic All-Star and NESCAC All-Academic Team selection.
He continued his education at Babson College's F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business, earning a master's degree in management and entrepreneurial leadership in May 2025. While at Babson, he also played varsity hockey and earned NEHC Academic All-Conference honors.
With the Nanooks, McElaney assists with recruiting, player evaluation and development, video analysis, practice planning and game strategy, working primarily with the forward group while contributing to bench management and special teams.
