Jeffery Kampersal (born January 27, 1970) is an American ice hockey coach. He is the current head coach for Penn State. He previously served as the head coach for Princeton, where he is the winningest coach in program history.
Kampersal played college ice hockey at Princeton. He served as team captain during the 1991âÂÂ92 season. He was drafted by the New York Islanders in the tenth round of the 1988 NHL entry draft. Following his collegiate career, he played for the Capital District Islanders of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Richmond Renegades of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL).
Kampersal began his coaching career at his alma-mater, Princeton. During the 2005âÂÂ06 season, he led the Tigers to a 21âÂÂ8âÂÂ4 record, and the NCAA women's ice hockey tournament for the first time in program history. He was subsequently named ECAC North Coach of the Year. During the 2015âÂÂ16 season, he led the Tigers to a 22âÂÂ9âÂÂ2, their winningest season in program history. Following the season he was named ECAC and Ivy League Coach of the Year, and a finalist for AHCA Coach of the Year. He finished his tenure at Princeton with a 327âÂÂ261âÂÂ58 record in 21 seasons, becoming the winningest coach in program history.
On June 1, 2017, Kampersal was named the head coach at Penn State, becoming the second head coach in program history. During the 2020âÂÂ21 season, he led the Nittany Lions to a 16âÂÂ3âÂÂ2 record, and their first regular season championship in program history. They also received their first top-ten national ranking in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls. During the 2022âÂÂ23 season, he led the Nittany Lions to a 27âÂÂ9âÂÂ2 record, their first College Hockey America (CHA) tournament championship and first NCAA tournament appearance in program history. He was subsequently named CHA Coach of the Year and a finalist for AHCA Coach of the Year.
During the 2023âÂÂ24 season, he led the Nittany Lions to a 22âÂÂ13âÂÂ3 record, their second consecutive CHA tournament championship and NCAA tournament appearance. Following the season he was named the CHA Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. During the 2024âÂÂ25 season, he led the Nittany Lions to a 31âÂÂ6âÂÂ1 record, the Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) tournament championship, and their third consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. Their 31 wins marks a single-season program record. Following the season he was named the AHA Coach of the Year, his third consecutive coach of the year award.
During the 2025âÂÂ26 season, he led the Nittany Lions to a 33âÂÂ6âÂÂ0 record, the AHA tournament championship, and their fourth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. Their 33 wins set a new single-season program record. During the regional final of the 2026 NCAA tournament against Connecticut, Penn State earned their first NCAA women's ice hockey tournament win, and advanced to the Frozen Four for the first time in program history. Following the season he was named the AHA Coach of the Year, his fourth consecutive coach of the year award. He was also named the AHCA Coach of the Year.