Report: Courtney Kessel stepping down as Boston Fleet head coach
A huge story is developing out in New England.
According to multiple reports, Courtney Kessel is stepping down from her position as head coach of the Boston Fleet. She will be taking over the role as head coach of the Princeton University women’s hockey program.
The news comes not long after Cara Gardner Morey left her post as the head coach of the Tigers to become the general manager of PWHL Vancouver. It opened the door for Kessel, an assistant under Morey for four seasons before signing on with Boston, to return to take on the big job at the Ivy League school.
Daily Faceoff has reached out to the Fleet’s staff for comment. No response has been given at this time.
Per John Wawrow of The Associated Press, Kessel’s decision to leave the Fleet wasn’t an easy one. The 35-year-old, alongside GM Danielle Marmer, helped build the team from its inception in 2023. Their first season was a success, finishing third in the PWHL and stunning a second-seeded Montreal squad to advance to the final. Boston ultimately came short, losing the Walter Cup to Minnesota in a thrilling five-game series.
Kessel was named a finalist for PWHL Coach of the Year.
The second season wasn’t as fruitful. The Fleet posted a similar winning percentage during the 2024-25 campaign but ended up missing the playoffs after losing to the Frost on the final day of the regular season.
In her two years on the job, Kessel led Boston to a 17-10-8-19 record.
The Etobicoke, Ontario native takes over a Princeton team that hasn’t qualified for the NCAA Tournament since the 2018-19 season, Morey’s second year on the job (The team would’ve played in the 2020 tournament after winning the ECAC title, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
Along with her professional and collegiate coaching experience, Kessel was also behind the bench for Team Canada at the 2019 and 2023 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championships, serving as an assistant and head coach, respectively. Additionally, she was an assistant for the senior national team at the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship. Canada won gold each time.