Who Is Olympic Hockey Player Charlie McAvoy’s Wife? All About Kiley McAvoy

Charlie McAvoy is being coached by his wife's dad at the 2026 Winter Olympics

NEED TO KNOW

• Charlie McAvoy met his wife, Kiley McAvoy, when they were students at Boston University
• Charlie and Kiley married in August 2023 and welcomed their son in January 2025
• Kiley’s dad, Mike Sullivan, is Charlie’s coach at the 2026 Winter Olympics

Charlie McAvoy and his wife, Kiley McAvoy (née Sullivan), bonded over their love of hockey while in college.

After meeting through mutual friends at Boston University in 2015, they started dating that December, connecting over the ice sport.

At the time, Charlie played for the school's team before he was drafted by the NHL and joined the Boston Bruins in his sophomore year. Meanwhile, Kiley is the daughter of former Bruins player, current New York Rangers coach and Team USA hockey coach Mike Sullivan at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The couple married in August 2023 at the chapel on the Boston University campus, and welcomed their first child, son Rhys, in January 2025. In the following months, Charlie and Kiley faced different health struggles, including Charlie suffering injuries in the ice rink.

In turn, Charlie has credited Kiley with helping the family through tough times.

“[Injuries] take a toll, they really do … But it’s my family that always gets me out of it. Kiley, my wife, she’s always there, picking up the pieces when they fall apart,” he told ESPN in January 2026. “She’s everything for us, she’s everything for our family.”

So who is Charlie McAvoy’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Kiley McAvoy and her relationship with the Boston Bruins defenseman.

She and Charlie met at Boston University

Charlie and Kiley met during their freshman year of college at Boston University in 2015.

They were introduced through mutual friends that fall semester and grew close over their shared interest in hockey, Kiley told Boston magazine in January 2024.

Their first date was at a Halloween party, at which Charlie dressed up as Average Joe from the movie Dodgeball and Kiley as a mermaid.

The two officially began dating on Dec. 15, 2015. Shortly after, Charlie posted a photo of them on his Instagram with the caption, “What a year Ki, thanks for letting me share it with you ☺️.”

She has two nursing degrees

Though Charlie left college during his sophomore year when he was drafted by the Bruins, Kiley earned two bachelor’s degrees.

Kiley graduated from Boston University in 2019 with a B.S. in health science with a minor in communications, per her LinkedIn. To mark her accomplishment, Charlie shared a photo on Instagram of them celebrating.

She later attended the MGH Institute of Health Professions, where she earned a second bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2022. Afterward, Kiley gave Charlie a shout-out on social media, writing, “I truly couldn’t have done it without you."

She and Charlie got engaged in Italy

Around the time Kiley graduated with her second bachelor's degree, Charlie proposed while they were on vacation in Italy in the summer of 2022.

The pair had originally traveled to the country to attend the Lake Como wedding of Charlie’s former Bruins teammate Tuukka Rask. Charlie and Kiley arrived a few days early and were on a boat ride under the Faraglioni Rocks off the Capri coast when he popped the question with a cushion-cut diamond.

The idea to propose under the rocks came from Charlie’s teammate Brad Marchand, Kiley told Boston magazine in January 2024. “Legend is that if you kiss under the rocks, you will be in love forever,” she told the outlet.

They later shared photos of their engagement on Instagram. “The kind of love you dream about 🤍 I can’t believe I get to be your wife @cmcavoy25 💍,” Kiley wrote in her caption.

“The most amazing day — can’t wait to marry my best friend ❤️🇮🇹,” he penned on his account.

They married at Boston University in August 2023

Charlie and Kiley exchanged their wedding vows at Boston University — where they first met — on Aug. 5, 2023.

The special event was officiated by Kiley's uncle at the Marsh Chapel on the Boston University campus. Afterward, the couple held a reception at the nearby Boston Public Library, which featured a variety of personal details and was attended by more than 260 family and friends, per Boston magazine.

Charlie and Kiley only included one reference to hockey: a seating chart and escort cards made from hockey pucks with the phrase, “Score a seat.” The pucks were decorated with photos of the library’s iconic green lamps and the hockey phrase “Light the lamp,” the publication reported.

The pair later shared snaps of their celebration on Instagram.

“Mine forever @kileymcavoy ❤️💍 Yesterday was the best day of my life. So blessed to share this entire weekend with our incredible family and friends,” Charlie captioned a photo of him and Kiley walking out of the church.

They welcomed a son in January 2025

Charlie and Kiley welcomed their first child, son Rhys Michael McAvoy, on Jan. 26, 2025.

They revealed the pregnancy on Instagram in October 2024 with professional photos of the couple and Kiley’s baby bump, as well as a sex reveal cake. “Preparing to fall in love for a lifetime… Our boy is coming soon,” she wrote in the joint post.

Charlie and Kiley announced the birth of Rhys with another post on Instagram of him in a bassinet next to a pillow embroidered with his name. “The greatest love we will ever know 💙 Rhys Michael McAvoy is here,” she captioned it.

Shortly after, Charlie told NHL.com about what the first few days of parenthood were like, and he also took the opportunity to voice his love and support for Kiley.

“You think you might know what to expect, but you don’t. Just the amount of pride and the absolute, utmost respect and love for the moms and what they do. Because it truly is incredible,” he said. “I’ve seen that just on a three-day scale, how much they put their bodies through and what they go through. She’s doing an incredible job.”

Since then, the pair have shared glimpses of their family online, from Rhys spending time on the ice with his dad to beach trips and celebrating birthdays.

The family also has a French bulldog, Otto, who they adopted in July 2025.

Kiley's dad has professionally coached Charlie

With Charlie’s professional NHL career and Kiley’s father’s own experience in the league, hockey is an important part of their lives.

Charlie has a close relationship with Kiley’s father, Mike Sullivan — who served as his coach during the 2025 Four Nations Face-Off and again at the ongoing 2026 Winter Olympics.

“Really it's something that none of us ever could have dreamed of," Charlie told NHL.com about the experience.

He continued, "It’s just amazing and I know the pride that I've seen in my wife and just how proud she is of her dad and of me and it's just extremely special.”

She and Charlie enjoy celebrating Halloween

Since their first date on Halloween in 2015, Charlie and Kiley have gone all-out with their Halloween costumes nearly every year.

In 2018, the two dressed up as the main characters from Blades of Glory — Charlie as Will Ferrell’s Chazz Michael Michaels and Kiley as Jon Heder’s Jimmy MacElroy.

In 2019, they were the Joker and Catwoman and in 2021, they were characters from Happy Gilmore — with Charlie as Happy, dressed in a Bruins jersey, and Kiley as Happy’s caddie Otto, complete with a drinking helmet.

More recently, in 2022, they were Hagrid and Bellatrix Lestrange from Harry Potter, alongside other friends who dressed up as Dumbledore, Harry and Dobby.

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