Palmer has completed three seasons on the men's hockey staff, most recently as the Director of Hockey Operations for 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons that Cornell post a cumulative 46-15-7 record and earn a pair of at-large bids to the NCAA tournament. Palmer was also a volunteer assistant coach with the Big Red for the 2015-16 season.
Palmer is the founder and primary instructor of Syracuse-based Palmer Goalie Systems, where he provides personal instruction and video analysis to more than 30 area goaltenders who compete at the AAA, prep school, junior and college levels. He also serves as goaltending consultant with Mountain Hockey Instruction and Syracuse Empire Junior Stars, and he serves as a talent evaluator for USA Hockey Festival Central New York tryout camp.
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He was a two-time gold medalist with the United States at the IIHF Under-18 World Championship, and was later named to the U.S. team at the Under-20 World Championship in 2008. Palmer played for two seasons in the prestigious National Team Development Program. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, then went on to start 71 games for Ohio State over three seasons. Â He was a three-time Big 10 All-Academic Team selection and earned CCHA All-Rookie Team honorable mention in 2007.
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Palmer attended training camp with the Blackhawks in 2009 and 2010 and played professionally in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs, the Toledo Walleye, Reading Royals, Gwinett Gladiators and Florida Everblades of the ECHL, and the Quad City Mallards of the now-defunct Central Hockey League.
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Among other duties in his first season with the Big Red, Palmer served as a goaltending coach for the Big Red’s trio of Mitch Gillam, Hayden Stewart and Ryan Coon. Gillam posted seven shutouts during the 2015-16 season — which is now tied for the fourth most in a single season in program history.
