Canisius hockey head coach Trevor Large announced the promotion of staff member Daniel Paille to assistant coach.
A 2002 first-round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres and a member of the 2011 Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Championship squad, Paille spent the previous two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach with the Golden Griffins.
“We are all excited to have Dan join our staff on a full-time basis,” Large said. “His hockey knowledge and background are at the highest level. It his time with our program, Dan has continually shown the commitment, passion and drive needed to become an elite coach. Having an individual with a resume such as Dan’s continues to be an enormous benefit to help assist our players becoming the best they can be every day, both on and off the ice.”
In his first two seasons on the Canisius staff, Paille has aided in the development of the team’s forward group while also assisting with the team’s penalty kill unit. He has played a key role in the development of a forward group that saw multiple career highs set during the pandemic-shorted 2020-21 season as well as a penalty kill that ranked second in league in that category last season (.883).
“I’d like to thank Trevor and Canisius College for this new opportunity in a full-time position,” Paille said. “Working with this group for the past two seasons has been tremendously rewarding and I look forward to reuniting with this program this season as we work towards achieving our goals.”
A native of Welland, Ontario, Paille was selected 20th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2002 National Hockey League Entry Draft. He spent 11 seasons in the NHL, amassing 85 goals and 87 assists in 582 regular-season contests split between the Sabres, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers. He chipped in 19 points (9g, 10a) in 75 postseason games, helping the Bruins capture the Stanley Cup in 2011 and make a finals appearance in 2013.
After his time in the NHL, Paille joined Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League for two seasons before retiring at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.
Paille played junior hockey for the Ontario Hockey League’s Guelph Storm, helping the squad capture the league championship in 2004. He was a member of Team Canada for the 2003 IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and served as Canada’s captain in 2004, winning silver medals at both events.
Paille is working towards his bachelor’s degree in commerce with a major in accounting from Athabasca University in Alberta. He and his wife, Dana, are the proud parents of a son, Emmanuel.
(Canisius College Hockey Photo)
