Heffernan comes to the Nor’Easter after a successful three-year stint with the Connecticut Chiefs in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL), where he made a significant impact. Under his leadership, the Chiefs reached the EHL Central Division Finals twice in three seasons. In his debut season, Heffernan's squad set a franchise record for the most regular-season wins in Chiefs EHL history.
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Heffernan is renowned for his dedication to player development, boasting a robust network of NCAA coaching connections. This network has enabled him to advance an average of over 10 players per season to NCAA programs, placing the Chiefs among the elite EHL teams for NCAA placements. He aims to replicate this success with the Nor’easters, aspiring to make them a premier EHL-to-NCAA program.
Before his tenure with the Chiefs, Heffernan was the Head Coach of the Western New England University (WNE) men's ice hockey team. His tenure at WNE was marked by the team's best winning percentage in 18 years and a semifinal appearance in the ECAC Northeast tournament. His leadership saw WNE qualify for the playoffs more times than in all previous seasons combined, secure five in-season tournament victories, and achieve a national top-20 ranking for the first time in school history.
Heffernan's coaching journey also includes a role as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Fredonia State University. During his time at Fredonia, he contributed to the Blue Devils’ SUNYAC championship win in 2007 and their subsequent appearance in the NCAA Division-III Tournament. Heffernan was instrumental in recruiting two All-Americans and several future professional players. Additionally, he organized the "Pink the Rink" charity event for breast cancer awareness, which gained widespread media attention and appeared on national networks such as CNN, NBC, and ESPN.
His previous coaching experience includes serving as the head coach and general manager of the Cleveland Barons Under-18 AAA hockey club, where he led the team to back-to-back Ohio state championships in 2005 and 2006, achieving an impressive .602 winning percentage.
Heffernan's early career includes a stint as a graduate assistant and video coordinator at Mercyhurst College, where the Lakers won the MAAC championship in 2003 and participated in the NCAA Division-I Men's Ice Hockey Championship Tournament. Heffernan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Concordia University, an MS in Organizational Leadership from Mercyhurst University, and an MBA from Western New England University.
As a player, Heffernan competed in 18 professional games in the United Hockey League (UHL) and Quebec Semi-Pro Hockey League (QSPHL) and played three seasons in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) with Concordia University.
