James McDonald took over as head coach of the men's hockey program in May of 2025. A fixture of Nazareth hockey since his playing days for the Golden Flyers, McDonald has been involved with the program for the last eight seasons. In 2024-25, he served as the associate head coach, and three years prior was the assistant coach.,
McDonald helped the Golden Flyers to their best season ever in 2022-23, as Nazareth went 18-8-2 and advanced to the UCHC finals for the first time in program history.Â
McDonald was a four-year standout as a player for the Golden Flyers who served as team captain in his senior season of 2019-20. He scored a team-best 16 goals that season, including four in a win at Lebanon Valley in 2020.
His 105 career games and 35 career goals rank first all-time at Nazareth, where he is finishing up a doctorate degree in Physical Therapy.
A native of Potsdam, N.Y., McDonald is a graduate of Northwood Prep in Lake Placid. He played two seasons of junior hockey with the Vermont Lumberjacks of the Eastern Hockey League.
