The Gaels enter the season with a new head coach following one of the program’s strongest playoff runs in recent years.
Queen’s finished the 2025-26 regular season at 14-13-1 before reaching the OUA East final, where they fell to Université du Quebec Trois Rivières (UQTR) in three games. Queen’s went on to defeat TMU 4-3 in overtime for the OUA bronze medal, earning a berth at the U Sports National Championship before falling 5-2 to UNB in the quarterfinals.
Brandon Perry takes over behind the bench following Brett Gibson’s retirement after 20 seasons with the program.
READ MORE: Queens men’s hockey appoints new head coach
In an interview with The Journal, Perry said his first preseason at Queen’s has been busy, with the Gaels facing several strong opponents while dealing with injuries across their roster. “We played seven games in 15 days, which is a lot for anybody,” Perry said.
The demanding exhibition schedule included matchups against McGill University, UQTR, the University of Prince Edward Island, and Toronto Metropolitan University. Perry said the team struggled to hold leads in several games, with injuries leaving Queen’s without four of its top defensemen at one point.
Despite the difficult start, Perry said the group improved throughout the preseason and enters the regular season in a better position. “The teams trending in the right direction and we’re getting healthy at the right time,” Perry said.
Perry also inherits a roster without several of last season’s key contributors, including Nolan Hutcheson, ArtSci ’26, and Jack Duff, ArtSci ’26. Both played important roles in the Gaels’ postseason run, leaving opportunities for returning players to take on greater responsibilities. “We’ve got four or five lines that could all play,” Perry said. “Not one player is going to fill that spot.”
The new coach also wants the team to place a greater emphasis on puck possession and creating opportunities through offensive entries, rather than relying as heavily on dumping the puck into the offensive zone.
“If you don’t have the puck, you’re chasing the game most of the night,” said Perry.
Among the players Perry expects to take a step forward is Colin Holmes, ArtSci ’29, who impressed the new coach with his preseason production. Perry estimated Holmes scored eight goals in seven exhibition games. “He looks fantastic early on here,” Perry said, adding that the offensive approach being introduced suits Holmes’s game.
Perry also highlighted newcomer Chad Muller, ArtSci ’30, who joins Queen’s after playing NCAA Division I hockey at Long Island University. Perry said Muller’s previous university experience should help his transition, despite the different demands of the Canadian university schedule.
The Gaels begin the season against a UQTR team that eliminated them from last year’s OUA playoffs. For Perry, the matchup offers an early opportunity to measure his team against one of the conference’s strongest opponents.
“You don’t win championships in October,” said Perry.
While Perry hopes to leave Trois-Rivières with what he says, “at very least a split,” he emphasized that executing the team’s systems and improving special teams will remain priorities.
The Gaels open their season in a back-to-back, starting on Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. against the UQTR Patriotes in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, before facing them again on Oct. 10 at 4 p.m.
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