Ken Gaffney has served as the head coach of the Lawrence Technological University Blue Devils hockey program since 2009. Taking it from a club team to a varsity program that now boasts two University-sponsored teams.
Gaffney guided the Division 3 squad to the 2024 American Collegiate Hockey Association national championship in March with a 4-2 win over in-state rival Grand Valley State. The Blue Devils entered the ACHA Tournament as the No. 1 seed, gaining their first-ever No. 1 national ranking. All told, LTU D3 Hockey set numerous program records led by a 29-5-2 overall mark. LTU captured the Michigan Collegiate Hockey Conference East Division regular-season crown with a 12-1-1 conference record.
Senior captain Connor Juhasz was tabbed for ACHA second-team All-America honors to top a list of deserving postseason accolades for the Blue Devils. Freshman Will Jentz was named the Division 3 Most Outstanding Player while junior goaltender Timothy Young, freshman Logan Barnes and sophomore Luke Radu joined him on the ACHA All-Tournament Team. Sophomore goalie Owen Pryzbylo and Juhasz were All-MCHC East first-team selections, and sophomore Ben DeHaas and Jentz made the second unit.
Gaffney is responsible for all aspects of the program including being the head coach for both the ACHA D1 and D3 teams. His main responsibilities include scouting, player acquisition, financial budgets, scheduling, travel, player development, game management, academic oversight, marketing and alumni relations.
On the D1 side in 2023-24, LTU finished with a 21-12 record overall--its third 20-win season in a row--and advanced to the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference title game. The Blue Devils were in the ACHA top-25 rankings for most of the season. Sophomore Drake Barnish led the team's postseason honors as the 2024 WHAC Newcomer of the Year while sophomore goalie Brett Tome and freshman defenseman Charlie Ward joined him on the all-conference second team.
In each of Gaffney's seasons as head coach of the Blue Devils, they have seen positive advancements. The program has also seen an increasing player roster from 24 players to 56 players and now 80 hockey players on campus. On the ice, the program has been ranked Top-15 in the ACHA North and Top-50 in the nation (140 teams) for the past several seasons. The 2015-16 campaign saw LTU finish ranked eighth in a tough ACHA North Region and Top-20 in the nation. In 2016, Gaffney helped advance the Blue Devils to their second-ever ACHA North Regional playoffs. LTU eventually lost to Aquinas College, the 2016 national runner-up. The 2015 MCHC playoffs saw Gaffney bring home the first-ever playoff win for the Blue Devils in what is considered, by many, the nation’s toughest conference. Whether on ice or off the ice, the Blue Devils program continues to improve.
Gaffney created a coach's association of hockey programs to begin the pursuit of the sport under the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Gaffney, along with five other universities has worked closely with the ACHA leadership, to form a new varsity division within the ACHA called the NAIA Division. This small group is the pioneers of what will be a new opportunity in college hockey. This new opportunity is the beginning steps of restoring college hockey under the NAIA. This has resulted in one of the biggest changes in college hockey in over a generation.
Gaffney has been a coach for over 20 years. A head coach for 18 seasons, he has coached across the full spectrum of ages and skill levels. Prior to taking the Blue Devil head coaching position, Gaffney led the Motor City Junior Chiefs and prior to that founded the Father Gabriel Richard High School hockey program. During those years, Gaffney has also coached nationally regarded Tier I AAA youth programs such as Compuware, Honey Baked and Victory Honda. A winner of many championships, Gaffney still points to his player development and moving players on to their next level as his biggest accomplishments. He has had the privilege of coaching several players that have advanced high in the hockey ranks including two professionally, 10 NCAA Division I, eight to NCAA D-III, 14 United States Hockey League, 17 North American Hockey League, and dozens to other Junior and ACHA programs.
Gaffney played his junior hockey for both Paddock Pools Saints and Redford Royals in 1980 and 1981 in the Great Lakes Junior Hockey League (GLJHL) which is now called the NAHL. He completed his playing career at the University of Michigan-Dearborn (UM-D) from 1981 to 1984. At the time UM-D was an athletic scholarship varsity program under the NAIA. He received honorable mention honors at the NAIA National Tournament following a successful freshman season. Battled by a rash of serious injuries, Gaffney’s playing career ended early at UM-D, but his coaching career soon took root.
A graduate of the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics, Gaffney and his wife Maureen have four children: Lauren, Sean, Connor, and Kyle.
