Dickson Heading to NHL

Photo by DSPics.com

HAMILTON, N.Y. -- Colgate University assistant men's hockey coach Andrew Dickson has accepted a position as a professional scout with the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets, head coach Don Vaughan announced on Friday, June 27. Dickson will resign his position with the Raiders effective at the end of July.

"It has long been a goal of Andrew's to become an NHL scout," Vaughan said. "I am happy for Andrew and his family that he now has that opportunity with Columbus. Andrew has been an outstanding assistant coach for Colgate over the past nine years, and was really the face of our recruiting efforts for much of that time. He attracted to Colgate some of the finest student-athletes and best citizens this program has ever seen. He is a highly-regarded professional, and, since his days as the captain of the first Colgate team I ever coached, has been a trusted and loyal friend. On behalf of everyone involved with the Colgate hockey program, I wish him and his family nothing but the best as he moves to the next phase of his professional career."

"I want to thank Colgate, the Colgate hockey program, all of the players, and Coach Vaughan for everything they have done for me, my family, and my career over the past nine years," Dickson said. "Colgate is a special place to me, and it always will be. It was a tough decision, but I'm looking forward to my new job with Columbus, where I will be working in the best hockey league in the world."

During his tenure at Colgate, Dickson helped the Raiders to two NCAA tournament appearances, the 2004 and 2006 ECAC Hockey regular-season titles, and three straight 20-win seasons for the first time in school history. His recruiting efforts brought some of the most talented players in program history to Colgate, including 2008 graduates Jesse Winchester, Mark Dekanich, and Tyler Burton, all of whom signed pro contracts at the end of their senior season.

Dickson captained the 1992-93 Colgate team, and led the Raiders in scoring that season with 43 points. He was also a key member of the 1989-90 team that won the ECAC regular-season and tournament championships, and advanced to the NCAA championship game. Dickson finished his Colgate career with 122 points, and ranks 27^th on the Raiders' all-time scoring list. He left Colgate as the school's all-time leader in games played with 135, and is now tied for 17^th in that category.

Dickson played professional hockey from 1993 to 1999 in several leagues throughout the world. He began his pro career with the Lee-Valley Lions of the British Hockey League, and finished the year with the Utica Bulldogs of the Colonial Hockey League. The following season, Dickson skated with four different teams in the U.S., including three in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL).

Dickson joined Memmingen of the German League for the 1995-96 campaign. Over the next two seasons, Dickson led the league in scoring, and was his club's leading scorer for three straight years. In 1998, he helped Memmingen claim the west division championship.

He finished the 1997-98 season with the Saginaw Lumber Kings of the United Hockey League. In his final year as a professional player, 1998-99, Dickson played in the English Premier League for the Division I Blackburn Hawks.

Dickson graduated from Colgate in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in economics. He and his wife, Alison, have a two-year-old son, Brock.