Blake Hatt welcomed as new STFX Head Sports Performance Coach

STFX Athletics is pleased to announce the appointment of Blake Hatt as our new Head Sports Performance Coach.

"With over five years of experience working with athletes across the junior, collegiate, and professional levels, Blake brings a combination of technical knowledge, elite-level exposure, and leadership across institutional and private settings," notes STFX Manager of Varsity Athletics Krista McKenna.

"We are very fortunate to have an individual with his expertise and professionalism join our integrated support team to lead our sports performance portfolio."

Hatt, a STFX alumnus and New Brunswick native notes, "I am excited to rejoin the STFX and Antigonish community, a community that means so much to me."

"I look forward to bringing my experience and knowledge from my time away and continuing to build on what Josh [Crouse] and Jordan [Socholotiuk] have created here. I know that there will be many great seasons ahead of us in Antigonish."

Hatt's professional journey has been marked by consistent growth and impact. As an intern for the past three years with the Ottawa Senators, he supported NHL-level athletes through evidence-based training and recovery programs, contributing to injury prevention and performance optimization.

He also played a pivotal role at the University of Ottawa, where he served as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for both the men's and women's varsity hockey programs since 2021. Blake led programming for the teams and helped build the infrastructure behind athlete testing and long-term tracking. His efforts contributed directly to the men's hockey U SPORTS national championship win in 2024-25. He also spearheaded the university's Sports Science Internship Program, mentoring aspiring performance coaches and guiding performance reviews across the department.

In the private sector, Hatt has managed day-to-day operations and training at Titan Performance Center in Ottawa, where he balanced individualized athlete development with business growth and community outreach. In addition to his other roles, he managed to find time to serve as the Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Nepean Jr. A Raiders this past season.

Blake's early career included roles at St. Mary's University in Texas, where he coached multiple NCAA Division II teams, and at his alma mater STFX University, where he began developing his hands-on experience with varsity programs as a strength & conditioning intern during his undergraduate degree, as well as fulfilling the role of student manager with the X-Men Soccer team.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Kinetics degree from STFX, is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), and is trained in athlete monitoring platforms including Vald, Catapult, and TeamBuildr. Hatt will begin his full-time role with STFX Athletics on August 18th, he will also join the teaching staff with the STFX Human Kinetics department.

Blake fulfills the vacancy left by former STFX head sports performance coach Josh Crouse who accepted a full-time position as the Director of Performance with the Halifax Mooseheads. Former STFX assistant sports performance coach Jordan Socholotiuk recently accepted a position with the Queen's University football team and that position will be filled in the coming weeks.