Brian Hills begins his 19th season at RIT and 17th as associate head coach in 2023-24. Hills joined the staff before its inaugural Division I season in 2005 and has been a key reason for the program's success. In 2011, Hills received the prestigious Terry Flanagan Award from the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA), honoring an outstanding assistant coach’s career body of work.
Hills has played a major role in recruiting and building a team that won the 2010 Atlantic Hockey and NCAA East Region Championships and advanced to the Frozen Four. The Tigers won back-to-back Atlantic Hockey Championships in 2015 and 2016 and advanced to the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship in 2015. In addition, Hills has helped lead RIT to five Atlantic Hockey Championship game appearances overall and four Atlantic Hockey Regular Season championships over a six-season span.
Hills played an integral role in the development of defenseman Chris Tanev, the 2010 Atlantic Hockey Association Rookie of the Year, who signed as a free agent with the Vancouver Canucks in May 2010. Tanev made his NHL debut on Jan. 18, 2011, played 29 regular season games, and five playoff games for the Canucks, including games five, six, and seven of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. Tanev also went on to win a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2016 World Championships.
Before his success at RIT, Hills was the head coach at SUNY Geneseo for four seasons. In his last season at Geneseo, he led the Knights to a record of 18-7-4, a SUNYAC Championship, the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Tournament, and a No. 7 ranking in the final Division III poll. Hills amassed a record of 53-42-14 while reviving the program, including a 32-14-9 mark over his final two campaigns.
Prior to his stint at Geneseo, Hills coached seven years at his alma mater, Division I Bowling Green State University and also assisted with Team Canada’s national team selection committee in 1997 and 1998. He also coached the Chur (Switzerland) Junior Hockey Team in 1986-87.
Hills is a 1983 graduate of Bowling Green, where he was a teammate of RIT head coach Wayne Wilson. Hills was a two-time All-American and two-time Hobey Baker Award finalist, honoring the nation's top player. He led the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) in scoring twice and was the CCHA Player of the Year in 1983. Hills was also a two-time CCHA All-Academic team member and was a second team CoSIDA/GTE Academic All-American as a senior. Hills graduated as the program's all-time scoring leader and is currently still second on the list, totaling 270 points on 116 goals and 154 assists in 156 games. He still holds the single-season program record with 94 points (37 goals, 57 assists) during his senior year, leading the Falcons in scoring his final three seasons.
After graduating from Bowling Green with a degree in business administration, Hills spent 11 seasons playing professionally in Europe - eight years in Switzerland and three in Germany. He won three gold medals with Team Canada in Europe’s Spengler Cup before returning to his alma mater for seven seasons as an assistant coach from 1994-2001.
Hills lives in Honeoye Falls with his wife, Andrea. Their daughter, Alexandra, was a forward on RIT's 2012 NCAA Division III National Championship women's team. Trevor enjoyed a standout career at Geneseo, landing Second Team All-America honors in 2015 after leading Division III in goals per game. Trevor also played one season professionally in Germany for the Dorfen Ice Pirates.
