Although new Northeastern Head Coach Jerry Keefe has yet to reveal any information about his new staff since taking on his new role in June, two new assistants are expected to join the Huskies this fall.
Former NHL goaltender Mike Condon will become the new volunteer assistant coach on the Northeastern coaching staff, replacing former goaltending coach Ed Walsh. It is unclear what led to the change at goaltending coach, though the move was foreshadowed in the spring when Walsh was awarded the 2021 Fernie Flaman Award by the program, an award that is not traditionally given to active members of the coaching staff. While at Northeastern, Walsh coached Cayden Primeau to the 2018 and 2019 Hockey East Goaltending Championships, 2018 and 2019 Eberly Awards, 2019 Beanpot MVP, and the 2019 Mike Richter award.
The addition of Condon follows news first reported earlier in July that Vegas Golden Knights Director of Collegiate Scouting Mike Levine would leave his role and join Northeastern as Assistant Coach, filling the void created when Keefe was elevated to the Head Coaching role.
Condon, a Massachusetts native, makes his coaching debut with Northeastern following an eight year professional career. He is one of only six Massachusetts born goaltenders to have played over 100 career NHL games, playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ottawa Senators, and Montreal Canadiens. He also represented his country as the primary goaltender for the United States at the 2016 IIHF World Championships. Prior to his professional career, Condon played four years for Princeton in the ECAC, saving. 919 as a junior and .923 as a senior. He was the Canadiens’ nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2016.
Condon will have a chance to make an immediate impact in Northeastern’s goalie room, as none of the three rostered goalies (Devon Levi, TJ Semptimphelter, and Evan Fear) have ever started a game for the red and black. Levi missed the entire 2020-21 season due to injury as World Juniors derailed Northeastern’s season, while Semptimphelter is a freshman and Fear is a transfer from Quinnipiac who joined the Huskies this summer.
Mike Levine joins the staff as another Massachusetts native following his stint with the Golden Knights, where he was with the team since their founding. He was elevated from Scout to Director of Collegiate Scouting and Director of Amateur Free Agents prior to the 2018-19 season. Prior to his time in Vegas, Levine was a staple of the local coaching ranks, with previous stops as head coach of New Hampton School and Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire and as an assistant with Utica College (D-III) and Brown at the NCAA level. Levine has been a longtime staple in the USA Hockey coaching ranks as well, having coached at a number of USA Hockey Summer Camps, and has coached alongside Keefe at camps prior to joining him at NU.
During Levine’s introduction at Brown, Head Coach Brendan Whittet stated, “Most importantly, Mike is a great person who has those innate character traits that have allowed and will continue to allow him to be a tremendous recruiter and coach. He possesses a relentless work ethic and is driven to succeed.” This echoes many of the themes that Keefe and Athletic Director Jim Madigan emphasized in their introductory press conference earlier this month. The introduction goes on to describe Levine as an elite recruiter with relationships throughout the local area.
It remains to be seen what the new delegation of responsibilities will be between Keefe, Levine, and returning assistant coach Mike McLaughlin, though it is safe to say Levine will take on Keefe’s prior role as the primary recruiter. In the past, Keefe was primarily renowned for his role coaching the Huskies’ power play while McLaughlin has run the Huskies’ defense corps and the penalty kill since bring promoted to assistant coach in 2019.
Congratulations to both new coaches – from one pair of Mikes to another- and welcome to the Northeastern hockey family!