Bio

Coach James comes to JCC after returning to his hometown of Watertown, New York.  He grew up and played hockey for a variety of teams in Northern New York, including Syracuse Stars AAA, Jefferson Jaguars AA/AAA, Thousand Islands High School, and IHC High School.  Throughout his time playing he worked frequently with multiple professional coaches, including Coach Charlie McTavish, the creator of Complete Goaltending Development in Ottawa, ON and former Arizona Coyotes Goaltender Development Coach.  As a high school student he would also assist as an instructor for local youth hockey goaltending clinics.

After high school Coach James decided to step away from competitive hockey to pursue a college degree and a career in federal law enforcement.  Upon graduating from SUNY Potsdam with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, he then spent approximately four years working in federal law enforcement in California and Illinois.  Since, Coach James has left his career in law enforcement to move back to Northern New York and pursue a career in education.  At this time, he made his return to competitive hockey serving as a goaltending coach for JCC Hockey in their inaugural 2023/24 season.