Taylor Willard - Ice Hockey Coach - University of Delaware Athletics

Taylor Willard

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
twillard@udel.edu

Taylor Willard, who has coached at both the Division I and Division III levels for the past six years, joined the Delaware coaching staff as an assistant coach in 2025 ahead of the program's inaugural season. She will officially assume the role on July 1.

Willard arrives in Newark after spending the past four seasons as an assistant coach at Norwich University, leading the Cadets to back-to-back New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) regular season championships in 2023-24 and 2024-25. She coached 27 all-conference selections, two NEHC Rookie of the Year recipients and Livia Brooks became the first player in program history to win NEHC Player and Rookie of the Year honors in 2023-24. Over Willard’s four seasons, the Cadets were either ranked or receiving votes in all but two USCHO Division III Top-15 Women's Polls.

In 2024-25, Norwich won the NEHC regular season title before falling in the conference championship game. Willard guided the team’s defense that ranked ninth nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 1.19 goals per game and was second in the country with 11 shutouts. She also led the Cadets’ penalty-killing unit that killed penalties at a 92.9-percent success rate.

Norwich won the NEHC regular season championship in 2023-24 behind a 15-2-1 conference record. Willard’s penalty killers set a program record by killing 95.3-percent of penalties, which led the entire nation. The scoring defense was second in the country, allowing less than a goal per game (0.93) and recorded 10 team shutouts. Brooks earned the first of two-consecutive All-America nods and was a finalist for the Laura Hurd Award for Division III National Player of the Year.

Willard helped lead the Cadets to a NEHC Championship in 2022-23 and a berth in the NCAA Tournament, the program’s first since 2020.

Prior to Norwich, Willard broke into the coaching ranks as a volunteer assistant coach for two seasons at her alma mater, the University of Vermont. She helped lead the Catamounts to back-to-back Hockey East Quarterfinal appearances.

As a student-athlete, Willard played in 145 career games for the Catamounts which is tied for the second-most in program history. A two-time team captain, Willard left Vermont ranking among the program's top 10 for career games played, points (62), assists (41) and power-play goals (12) as well as power-play goals in a single season (6). Her career point total was the most by a defenseman in program history.

Willard was a two-time Hockey East Second Team All-Star (2015-16, 2016-17) and an honorable mention all-star in 2017-18. She was also named to the New England Hockey Writers Association Division I All-Star following her 2016-17 campaign.

The Naperville, Illinois native also won the 2018 Sarah Devens Award, presented annually to a player who "demonstrates leadership and commitment on and off the ice. The Devens Award is a joint honor between ECAC Hockey and Hockey East and aids a deserving student-athlete with a post-graduate scholarship of $10,000. Willard was the first Vermont player to win the prestigious award and the first Hockey East player since 2006 to earn the honor.

Following her career at Vermont, Willard spent the 2018-19 season playing professionally for the Montreal Canadiennes in the Canadian Women's Hockey League. She registered seven points (two goals, five assists) in 26 games as the Canadiennes went to the Clarkson Cup. Willard was also a member of Team USA at the 2013 U18 Women's World Championships where she picked up three assists in five games and won a silver medal.