High Point University Club Sports

The High Point University Intercollegiate Club Sports (ICS) program, led by Director of Athletics Dr. Stephen Denny, announced John Van Kemp as assistant coach of the men’s hockey (D3 / white) team on Monday, July 27th. 

John Van Kemp returns as an assistant coach for the Panthers, a position which he helped develop the program from 2023-25. Van Kemp adds a storied career from youth hockey, collegiate hockey and coaching at the high school level. 

Originally from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, Van Kemp began playing Triple-A all-star ice hockey at a young age and continued with the sport through his late teenage years. His teams won numerous Provincial Championships and represented his city across Ontario and the northeastern United States.

Van Kemp continued his hockey career at the collegiate hockey and men’s travel hockey levels throughout the province. In addition to ice hockey, Van Kemp also played all-star lacrosse and baseball, representing his city throughout Ontario.

From a young age, Van Kemp earned leadership roles as a team captain and player representative, which he has continued to apply while coaching and developing future players in multiple sports throughout his mid-20s. His management consulting career with Andersen Consulting resulted in a transfer from Canada to Dallas, Texas, in 1998, where he became head coach of the junior varsity and varsity men’s ice hockey teams at Grapevine High School. 

It was in the Lone Star state that Van Kemp quickly developed the Grapevine hockey program into one of the most competitive high school hockey teams in the Dallas area, resulting in the school’s only Texas High School Hockey Championship. After several years with the program, he joined the Southlake High School hockey program in 2005 and again built one of the top programs in Dallas.

In 2007, another job transfer with Accenture brought Van Kemp to North Carolina. A few years later, after his son, Johnny, was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, Van Kemp stepped away from coaching for 11 years to devote more time to his family. After his son’s recovery, Van Kemp returned to coaching in 2023 as assistant coach of the newly created High Point University D3 men’s ice hockey team, a role he held through spring 2025 while developing the program from the ground up.

Van Kemp brings extensive playing, leadership and coaching experience to the program, along with a deep understanding of how to foster a positive team culture, teach individual hockey skills, motivate players, and implement effective systems. 

Throughout his life, he has valued hard work, teamwork, dedication, and self-discipline—principles he has consistently passed on as a coach. His leadership has had a positive impact on current and former Panther players, and he has served as a mentor and role model by helping them adjust to life at High Point University while balancing academic, professional and athletic goals. These coaching characteristics are perfectly in line with the fundamentals of the HPU ICS program, which are to elevate expectations, grow the game, and cultivate community.

Van Kemp is married to Sharon Van Kemp and lives in Summerfield, N.C. The couple has one son, Johnny, who graduated Magna cum laude from High Point University in 2026 with a Bachelor of Science in business administration.