Ohio State men’s hockey alumnus Paul Kirtland is returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach, Buckeye head coach Steve Rohlik announced Wednesday. Kirtland, who skated with the Buckeyes from 2009-12, spent the last two years on the staff at Minnesota State.

“We are excited to add Paul to our staff,” Rohlik, who has been at the helm of the Buckeyes for 10 seasons, said. “His character, work ethic and ability to develop players will be a huge asset to our program.”

During Kirtland’s tenure with the Mavericks, the squad made two NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the 2022 NCAA Frozen Four championship game. Minnesota State won back-to-back Central Collegiate Hockey Association regular season and tournament titles.

“The Ohio State University is very special to my family and me,” Kirtland said. “I couldn’t be more excited to return to a place that has positively impacted my life in countless ways. I want to thank Coach Rohlik for this incredible opportunity. I cannot wait to get to campus and get started.”

A native of Vernon, Conn., Kirtland spent the 2020-21 campaign at Yale; the team did not compete during the season because of the Covid pandemic. He was on staff at Sacred Heart for two years before making the move to Yale. During his time with the Pioneers the program produced two of the best seasons in school history, including a second-place finish in Atlantic Hockey in 2019-20. The squad was third nationally in scoring offense and second in shorthanded goals that season.

Kirtland has coaching experience in both the NAHL (Fairbanks, 2013-15) and the USHL (Dubuque, 2017-18), as well as at Division III Trinity College (2015-17). The Ice Dogs won the 2014 USA Hockey Tier II National Championship and at Trinity he helped guide the Bantams to two NESCAC Tournament titles and a runner-up finish in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

A three-year letterwinner for the Buckeyes who skated in 49 games, Kirtland was an Academic All-Big Ten choice and an Ohio State Scholar-Athlete. He earned his degree in business administration from Ohio State in 2013. He played a year in the ECHL before beginning his coaching career.

Kirtland and his wife, Colleen, who was an All-American gymnast for the Buckeyes (2009-13), are the parents of a son, Cian.

The 2022-23 Buckeyes were 21-16-3 and finished third in the Big Ten with an 11-11-2-0-0-1 ledger. The squad earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, posting an 8-1 win over Harvard in the opening round before a 4-1 loss to eventual national champion Quinnipiac in the regional final. Ohio State led the nation on the penalty kill (.887) and in shorthanded goals (10) and ranked in the Top 17 in scoring offense (3.28 goals per game), scoring defense (2.52 goals allowed per game) and power play (.218).