University of Connecticut Athletics
Women's Ice Hockey
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- ainsley.svetek@uconn.edu
Ainsley Svetek enters her first full season as an assistant coach for the UConn women’s ice hockey program, after serving as a volunteer assistant coach during the second half of the 2025-26 campaign. Svetek steps into a full-time role alongside Head Coach Chris MacKenzie and Associate Head Coach Casey Handrahan.
Svetek’s addition to the coaching staff will bring a combination of championship playing and leadership experience, and advanced sports science expertise to the Huskies bench. A cornerstone of the Huskies' roster for five seasons, Svetek’s playing career resulted in the most successful season in program history. As team captain in her final year, she anchored a historic squad that captured UConn's first-ever Hockey East Regular Season Championship, the Hockey East Tournament Championship, and secured a historic berth in the NCAA Tournament. Over her five-year tenure on the ice, Svetek was the definition of the "Husky Way," combining elite defensive reliability with exceptional locker room leadership.
Beyond her on-ice achievements, Svetek academic background that directly impacts her coaching philosophy. Earning both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biomedical engineering from UConn while balancing the demands of NCAA Division I hockey. Currently, she is pursuing her Ph.D. in Kinesiology at UConn, specializing in biomechanics and athlete performance helping her optimize player development, skating efficiency and injury prevention metrics for the Huskies roster.
