ROCHESTER, N.Y. – New RIT Men's Hockey Coach Matt Thomas announced former Tiger captain Josh Mitchell '16 has been named Assistant Coach heading into the 2025-26 season.
 
One of only five D1-era RIT players to eclipse 120 career points, he remains fifth all-time with 121 points. He also graduated with 90 career assists—one of only two Tigers who have ever hit the milestone.
 
"I'm excited to add a former Tiger to the staff," said Thomas, who enters his first season behind the Tiger bench. "Josh's accomplishments as a player are impressive and he has translated that same level of success into his coaching career. He has a sharp eye for talent and his focus on development will have an immediate impact on our current and future players."
 
Mitchell was part of back-to-back Atlantic Hockey Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in 2015 and 2016. He scored the game-winning goal in the Tigers' 2-1 upset of No. 1 Minnesota State in the opening round of the 2015 tournament, marking the first time the 16th seed upset the top-seed in NCAA hockey history. He then captained the Tigers to another title the following year as RIT became only the second AHA program to win consecutive championships.
 
"I'm incredibly honored to return to the RIT Men's Hockey program," said Mitchell. "Having the opportunity to coach at the program that gave me so much as a player is truly special. I'm grateful to be back and excited to contribute to the continued success and grow RIT Hockey."
 
As a junior, Mitchell totaled 52 points—only trailing teammate Matt Garbowsky (54 pts.) for the highest scoring season in program history—while his 36 assists remain the most ever by a Tiger.
  
Mitchell didn't miss a game during his four-year stint in a Tiger uniform, graduating with a program-record 154 appearances that remain the fourth-highest total in program history.
 
A two-time Atlantic Hockey All-Conference honoree, Mitchell also received the 2016 Louis Spiotti Coaches Award, given annually to the player who best embodies RIT Hockey.
 
Mitchell earned a degree in environmental science in 2016, before embarking on a five-year professional career that included four seasons in Germany. He has spent the last five seasons serving as a coach with nearby Bishop Kearney Selects, one of the premier junior programs in the nation, while serving as the Head Scout with the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League (USHL).
 
Mitchell currently lives in nearby Fairport with his wife, Meghan, who graduated from RIT with a biomedical sciences degree in 2017 and earned a master's degree as a physician assistant in 2021.