Bio

Deraney returns to the Lancers bench after two years with the Worcester Railers and the ECHL for the 2025-26 season. 

He initially took over the reins of the Lancers program for the 2021-22 season after coaching nearly 30 years at the collegiate level, most notably for 19 seasons as the head women’s coach at Providence College. In his previous tenure at Worcester State, Deraney was named the 2022-23 MASCAC Coach of the year after leading the Lancers to a record setting 10-win conference record and a trip to the MASCAC Championship.  While at Providence he led the Friars to four championships, one ECAC Eastern League Championship and three Hockey East Championships, and was a three-time Hockey East Coach of the Year. Upon leaving Providence in 2018, he was the all-time winningest coach in both Hockey East and Providence College history.

In July of 2023, Deraney stepped down as the head coach to work as an assistant for the Worcester Railers of the ECHL and will remain on staff as an assistant coach for the Lancers.

Before his time at Providence, Deraney served as an assistant coach for a trio of Division I men’s ice hockey programs, UMass Amherst, Dartmouth College, and Northeastern University. In each role, he worked primarily with the defensemen and goaltenders, and was also heavily involved with video analysis and recruiting.

Deraney has worked extensively with USA Hockey, dating back over 30 years. He has worked as a scout and as a player development coach for both the women’s national team and men’s junior team, and won gold medals as an assistant coach of the women’s Under-18 World Championships in 2008 and the Women’s National Team at the World Championships in 2015.

Other coaching stops for Deraney include the South African Men’s National Team, KRS Vanke Rays of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, and the Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League, the top professional league in Russia.

Prior to his coaching career, Deraney played four years of Division I hockey at Boston University, graduating in 1987. Deraney and the Terriers won two Beanpots and one Hockey East Championship in his four years.