Flames Division II men's hockey Head Coach Ben Hughes is moving into the DI assistant coaching position vacated by Associate Head Coach Jeff Boettger. (Photo by KJ Jugar)
Hughes to transition from DII men’s hockey head coach to DI assistant coach
4/2/2025 2:58:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey, Men's D2 Hockey
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A former defenseman and head captain on the Flames' DI squad, Ben Hughes guided the Flames to the ACHA DII National Championships every season since taking the helm in 2017-18.
Liberty University ACHA Division II men's hockey Head Coach Ben Hughes will succeed outgoing Associate Head Coach Jeff Boettger as an assistant coach on the Flames' Division I team's staff, as announced to both teams on Tuesday after Hughes answered God's call and DI Head Coach Kirk Handy's recruitment to the position.
"Ben is level-headed, and he is a winner," Handy said. "He wants to live out his life as an example for others to follow. He is passionate about using his faith to impact lives. He has been on mission trips, and he is a guy who understands fully what we are doing in Club Sports. He is passionate about mentorship, passionate about missions, passionate about using hockey as a platform to reach the world."
Hughes was a defenseman and head captain for the DI Flames from 2014-17.
Hughes, who also serves under Handy as Club Sports Assistant Athletic Director of Development & Alumni, compiled a record of 171-68-5 from 2017-25 at the helm of the DII squad, which was his first coaching experience after playing three seasons as head captain and defenseman on the DI team from 2014-17. He earned his B.S in Business Administration — Human Resource Management in 2016 before completing his MBA in 2018.
"Ben's got a wealth of knowledge and experience of being a head coach, and we're going to tap into him from a bunch of different facets," Handy said. "He will work with our defense and penalty kill and help with recruiting and be an active part of our practices and processes with our team. Having a fresh set of eyes looking out over everything we're doing is going to be a huge benefit."
Hughes had a hard time breaking it to his returning players as well as coaching staff that this was his last season with the DII team.
"I've cried like 10 times today," Hughes said Tuesday. "The relationship and commitment that guys like (Assistant Coaches) Christian Garland, Josh Graham, and Jeff Wilson have shown this year — and as a coach that extends to their wives and their families as well — I'm just so grateful for their investment they have put into it. Without their support, it wouldn't be possible. It's fun top coach with the guys you love, and I'm going to really miss being able to do that with them every day. That's what I'm stepping into with the DI guys as well."
His primary emotion expressed throughout the hiring process was gratitude.
Hughes has worked as director of the Athletics/Club Sports Varsity Club
"I've been coaching the DII team for eight years, and looking back it is easy to see God's faithfulness through the whole thing, being a captain through my career with the DI team and to be able to step in as a head coach right away," Hughes said. "I am so thankful for all of the staff's trust in me, and I've learned so much through it. He's stretched me and grown me in so many ways."
He credits Boettger and Handy as well as DI women's Head Coach Chris Lowes and Club Sports Assistant Athletic Director of Sports Performance Chris Kerr for molding and shaping him into the man and mentor he is today.
"The whole time I've had Kirk and Jeff there to be able to seek wisdom and knowledge just down the hallway," Hughes said, noting he was able to pour into his own players, including senior forward and head captain Josh Harrell, in similar ways. "I told him what the Lord gives us the ability to do here as coaches and leaders is so much more than hockey and I'm just honored and thankful to be a part of a place that has a mission of Training Champions For Christ and that I get to do it in the hockey industry."
He will succeed one of his greatest influences as a coach.
"I have been surrounded by mentors and godly men like Jeff Boettger, who has done something so faithfully for 20 years and never compromised the Gospel or Jesus one time," Hughes said. "He did it right, and I'm honored to have the opportunity to follow in his footsteps."
Boettger believes Hughes will help take the team to the next level. Jeff Boettger (left) and Hughes bookend the Club Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2022.
"I am super excited for Ben," Boettger said. "He obviously is an awesome fit for that type of role as has put in a lot of years at Liberty as a student-athlete, a hockey player, and coaching the DII team. He has an understanding of the defensive side of the game, and he is also going to bring a unique perspective to what he feels will help Liberty Hockey as a whole to progress."
Hughes' experience of bringing in and developing DII players to reach their greatest potential will transition well to the DI team, as a handful of his players did as DI call-ups when Handy needed them.
"Ben's been active in our recruitment of players over the years, and he has great connections from his days playing Junior Hockey that he has maintained," Handy said. "He has a lot of great relationships and a ton of connections, and he will start on the recruiting trail right now."
The Liberty Hockey Select Camps, when all five teams will evaluate potential prospects over a three-day period, is set for April 24-26.
Hughes said his vision for the program aligns with the university's mission as a whole — to send out ambassadors into all sectors who will change the world for Christ.
Emily and Ben Hughes hold daughters Oaklyn and Finley at the LaHaye Ice Center.
"We are building a legacy of Champions, and that's what I want to continue to do," Hughes said. "When guys move on from Liberty Hockey, whether it's DI, DII, or DIII men or DI or DII women, they're part of the legacy that they've left here with their sweat, their tears, and sometimes their blood."
He wants to engage with graduates of all three men's teams as well as welcome newcomers into the fold and help get acclimated into the culture of the program.
"I am excited to talk with the DI alumni for the opportunity to come and be a part of that legacy, and we want to keep the DII alumni integrated into the team, and to show them how much I care about them even through this transition," Hughes said.
He especially expressed his appreciation for his wife, Emily (Halvorson) Hughes, a former Lady Flames figure skater and synchronized skating head coach herself.
"Really, without her commitment and sacrifice to prioritize our relationship and our kids, my coaching in general would not be possible," Hughes said. "It's not easy being the wife of a coach. Just having her on board is another reason we as coaches fall in love with our wives. She is a blessing in my life that I am so thankful for."
By Ted Allen/Staff WriterHughes oversees a huddle of youth hockey players during one of the Liberty Hockey Summer Camps last July. (Photo by Jessie Jordan)
