The SU women's hockey program has a new head coach after Britni Smith stepped down.
Shortly after the conclusion of the Syracuse women's hockey season, now-former head coach Britni Smith stepped down from her position.
On Tuesday, SU got its new coach: Brian Idalski, who also serves as the head coach for the Czech national team. That report came from Kyle Cushman, who covers the PWHL.
Here's what you need to know:
About Idalski
In addition to being the head coach of the Czech squad, he's also previously served as the head coach of North Dakota and St. Cloud State. He was the head coach of the Vancouver Goldeneyes (PWHL) this past season.
He started his coaching career at Division III Wisconsin Stevens-Point, advancing to the national championship game in 2003-04. He went 144-89-25 at North Dakota (2007-17), making the NCAA Tournament twice. He was the USCHO National Coach of the Year in 2022-23 at St. Cloud State.
How the national team factors in
Given that Idalski is remaining as the head coach of the Czech team, there are absolutely times where he may have to miss games in order to fulfill national team obligations. The Syracuse administration is equipped to handle that, as Smith was an assistant coach for Team Canada, including at the Italy Olympics in 2026. She also had to leave the program for international competition.
Syracuse Orange mascot Otto the Orange olds up a sign against the Tennessee Volunteers in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Brett Davis-Imagn ImagesAbout the program he's inheriting
The Orange went 15-18-4 this past season after going 15-23 in 2024-25. Those were stark improvements from Smith's second year (7-24-3) and first year (10-24-2), showing that the program continues to grow and build.
Syracuse has advanced to the semifinals of the Atlantic Hockey America Tournament in each of the last two campaigns.
Syracuse has a new athletic director (Brian Blair), who is working to boost the entire athletic department. While it appears that he'll focus on football, basketball and lacrosse, he undoubtedly has chosen to invest in all sports, given his willingness to hire someone of Idalski's caliber.
Also in the news for Syracuse
--We are less than two months away from the start of the Syracuse football season, which begins on Sept. 5 vs. New Hampshire. The over/under win total for the Orange is just 4.5, but we gave our assessment here.
--Syracuse lacrosse legend Casey Powell is reportedly in the mix for the head coaching job at D-I Lemoyne, also in Syracuse. How would that impact things with SU? Our own Tom Goslowski discusses here as well.
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