Michigan hockey tabs Brandon Naurato as interim head coach for 2022-23
Michigan has made the decision its head coaching position for hockey, tabbing assistant Brandon Naurato as the interim coach for the 2022-23 season. The news was first reported by Jon Morosi of NHL Network.
Naurato spent last season Mel Pearson’s staff at Michigan after five seasons as a development coach. He spent portions of three years with the Detroit Red Wings prior to his time in Ann Arbor.
Last year was the first time that Naurato was part of an assistant coaching staff behind the bench, but his player relationships outweighed other candidates. Michigan will roll with him this year and address the full-time job at the conclusion of 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,” athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. “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.”
Naurato’s Michigan background
A Michigan alum from 2006-09, Naurato played in four NCAA Tournaments and registered 64 points in 130 career games (32 goals, 32 assists).
Michigan hired Naurato in large part due to his offensive and power play prowess. The Wolverines averaged a touch over four goals per game last year (4.02), which was good for third in all of college hockey.
“Throughout his career, Naurato has shown a knack for finding key information that others overlook,” a Michigan Daily story head. “He notably tracked and discussed every power-play goal in the 2017-18 NHL season to compare how they were scored, and he also analyzed the offensive output of the Red Wings during that same season. His writing background shows that he not only understands what statistics mean, but he can also tell their story. That will be key to passing those lessons on to players.”
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The Naurato era begins on Oct. 1 with an exhibition against Windsor before an Oct. 7-8 series against Lindenwood to open the regular season.
Closing the book on the Mel Pearson era at Michigan
Michigan hockey parted ways with Pearson on Friday after a report surfaced that ultimately led to his undoing. He was accused of having players lie about COVID-19 tracing, misleading recruits and other allegations deemed too toxic for him to continue.
“It has been determined that Mel Pearson will not return as our ice hockey coach,” A.D. Warde Manuel said in a statement. “This decision has been weighed heavily and for some time. We welcomed an independent third-party review into the climate and culture of our program before furthering our assessment in lockstep with campus leadership.
“Our student-athletes having a positive and meaningful experience is of paramount importance, and a clear expectation within our department is that all employees and staff are valued and supported. I deeply appreciate and value the many individuals who came forward throughout this review.”
“Today’s announcement reflects the seriousness with what we’ve heard and the values we hold dear at Michigan.”
Pearson recently completed his fifth season at Michigan compiling a 99-64-16 (.598) record, including a 31-10-1 campaign this past season.
