Britni Smith has stepped down as head coach of Syracuse's women's hockey program. The NCAA bench boss also served as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the 2026 Olympics and 2025 World Championships.
After four seasons as head coach for Syracuse's NCAA women's hockey program, Britni Smith is stepping aside citing her desire to prioritize family.
"I have made the difficult decision not to renew my contract as head coach at Syracuse University so I can be closer to home and family," Smith said in a Syracuse news release. "The young women in our program deserve the full attention and commitment of their coach, and after more than a decade of putting my coaching career first and being away from home, I've chosen to prioritize my personal life and time with family. This decision was made with their best interests in mind, as I know I can't fully commit to both this role and my personal priorities in the way they deserve."
"I'm incredibly grateful to the student-athletes, coaches, staff, and administrators for the opportunity to lead this program over the past four years. It has been a privilege to represent the Block S alongside such amazing people. I will always value the relationships built and the memories made during my time here, and I wish the program continued success and growth in the years ahead."
Smith was also the assistant coach for Canada's silver medal winning women's hockey team at the 2026 Olympics and 2026 World Championships.
Prior to joining Syracuse as their new head coach in 2022, Smith spent eight seasons as an assistant coach with Clarkson, and two seasons prior to that as an assistant with the University of Toronto.
The Ontario product played collegiately at St. Lawrence prior to spending four seasons in the CWHL with the Toronto Aeros and Toronto Furies.