Michigan hockey names interim head coach for 2022-23 season
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That didn’t take long.
What did take long was the Michigan athletic department deciding the future of five-year head coach Mel Pearson, who had a litany of allegations against him. The WilmerHale commission looking into the various subjects of ire was released three months ago, but the Wolverines only fired Pearson on Friday, leaving little-to-no time to find a replacement, given that the season starts in October.
The replacement ended up coming in-house, from a former player with plenty of ties to the NHL. Two days after Pearson’s dismissal, Michigan announced it has named former assistant Brandon Naurato as the interim head coach of the hockey program for the season.
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Full release
Warde Manuel, the University of Michigan’s Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics, announced Sunday (Aug. 7) that Brandon Naurato will serve as Michigan’s interim ice hockey head coach for the 2022-23 season.
“We are fortunate to have someone of Brandon Naurato’s caliber to lead our ice hockey team for the upcoming year,” said Manuel. “I had conversations with many individuals who care greatly about this program and appreciate the insight they shared. Brandon will do a great job leading the program, and I look forward to our student-athletes and staff benefiting from his leadership.”
“I am honored to lead my alma mater and will give everything I have to what is the most storied program in college hockey,” said Naurato. “I want to thank Warde Manuel and our student-athletes for their trust and look forward to working positively with our talented coaching and support staff.”
A native of Livonia, Michigan, Naurato recently completed his first season on the U-M bench following three years with the Detroit Red Wings organization, where he served as a player development consultant. In that role, he worked with the Red Wings and Grand Rapids Griffins coaching staffs to incorporate individual player skills into the organizational structure.
Along with running all prospect development for Detroit in the summer months, Naurato worked independently with junior, college and professional players in his development program, focusing on blending technical, tactical and transferable skills. He also spent seven years as the owner and director of Total Package Hockey in Detroit, where he started the first online hockey academy in the United States.
Notable NHL players that have worked with Naurato include Zach Werenski, Quinn Hughes, Dylan Larkin, Jacob Trouba, Jack Hughes, Kyle Connor, JT Compher and Andrew Copp.
Naurato played four years at Michigan, from 2006-09, making the NCAA Tournament all four years. In 130 career games, he scored 32 goals and registered 32 assists. He helped the Wolverines to the CCHA Championship in 2008, which led to a Frozen Four appearance. He played four years in the pros, making stops at Stockton (ECHL), Toledo (ECHL), Port Huron (IHL), Fort Wayne (CHL), and Dayton (CHL).
Michigan’s season begins on October 1 with an exhibition game against Windsor (time to be determined) before the regular season commences on October 7-8 with a home series against Lindenwood.
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