The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
8 — Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Brandon Naurato 
named interim 
hockey coach

This article was updated to 
include statements from Michigan 
athletic director Warde Manuel 
and 
interim 
Michigan 
hockey 
coach Brandon Naurato.
Mel Pearson’s firing left 
the Michigan hockey team 
without a head coach, and 
with its first exhibition 
game 
just 
under 
two 
months away, it desperately 
needs 
a 
leader 
behind 
the bench. But the hiring 
process takes time, and 
an interim must fill those 
duties for now.
On Sunday, NHL Network’s 
Jon 
Morosi 
broke 
news, 
confirmed by The Daily, that 
Michigan 
Athletics 
will 
promote Brandon Naurato to 
the interim role.
“We are fortunate to have 
someone of Brandon Naurato’s 
caliber to lead our ice hockey 
team for the upcoming year,” 
Michigan 
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.”
Naurato, 
the 
Wolverines’ 
assistant coach last season, will 
work as their head coach until a 
permanent coach can be selected. 
And Naurato has plenty of skills 
to merit the promotion.
As a development coach for 
five seasons before coming to 
Michigan 
last 
year, 
Naurato 
knows how to polish players’ 
skills. He spent parts of three 
seasons with the Detroit Red 
Wings, and he brought what he 
learned at the professional level 
to Ann Arbor last season.
Throughout his career, Naurato 
has shown a knack for finding 
key 
information 
that 
others 
overlook. 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.
That background could also 
help 
Michigan’s 
offense 
stay 
near the top of college hockey. 
With a roster full of scorers at his 
disposal, his ability to dig through 
the data could uncover different 
perspectives that lead to more 
goals. 
The 
Wolverines 
averaged 
4.02 goals per game last season 
— third best in the nation — and 
Naurato’s coaching played a heavy 
role in creating some of them. He 
especially worked with the power 
play, and multiple times players 
credited his coaching with their 
increased production.
Naurato played four seasons as 
a forward for Michigan from 2005 
to 2009, scoring 32 goals and 32 
assists in 130 games.
“I am honored to lead my alma 
mater and will give everything I 
have to what is the most storied 
program 
in 
college 
hockey,” 
Naurato said. “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.”
Last 
season 
was 
Naurato’s 
only year behind the bench, far 
less experience than some other 
options for the interim job. But 
his rapport with players combined 
with his unique way of seeing 
the game unfold could be key to 
making the most out of a chaotic 
situation for the Wolverines — and 
clearly the Athletic Department 
agreed.
With 
the 
season 
fast 
approaching, 
Michigan’s 
goal-
scoring guru has taken charge. 
While it’s impossible to know how 
the promotion will work out, the 
Wolverines nevertheless found 
someone to guide them into the 
season.

ICE HOCKEY

CONNOR EAREGOOD 
Summer Managing Sports Editor

FILE PHOTOS/Daily

NEW
ERA

JULIA 
SCHACHINGER/Daily

DOMINICK SOKOTOFF/Daily

