Naurato named permanent head coach at Michigan hockey

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WILX) - Just days before the Wolverines face off in the Frozen Four, Brandon Naurato has been named the permanent head coach of the University of Michigan hockey team.

“I’m extremely honored to be officially named the head coach of Michigan Hockey,” Naurato said in a release through Michigan Athletics. “Michigan holds a special place in my heart. It’s where I met my wife and where I started my family. It’s where I want to be for a long time.”

The announcement was made Friday afternoon by Warde Manuel, the University of Michigan’s Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics.

“I am thrilled that Brandon Naurato will continue to lead our ice hockey program, and it is with that knowledge that I am incredibly excited for the future of this storied program,” said Manuel in the release. “Simply put, Brandon has done a phenomenal job with this team over the past year. In his first year as the Head Coach, Brandon has kept his focus on the success of our student-athletes and staff who support the program…and the results of his leadership are clearly evident.”

Naurato served as the interim head coach for the 2022-23 season after working within the Detroit Red Wings organization as a player development consultant, working with the coaching staff of the Red Wings and Grand Rapids Griffins to integrate individual player skills into the organization.

Player development is Naurato’s specialty. He spent seven years as the owner-director of Total Package Hockey out of Detroit, starting the first online hockey academy in the country. Current NHL players of note who have worked with Naurato include JT Compher, Kyle Conner, Andrew Copp, Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes, Dylan Larkin, Jacob Trouba, and Zach Werenski.

This month, Naurato led the Wolverines to their second-straight tournament appearance as a #1 seed. The details of Naurato’s contract, which is reportedly for five years, will be finalized and announced following the Frozen Four.

This season, Michigan helped the Big Ten conference dominate the first round of the NCAA DI men’s hockey tournament. Alongside Minnesota, Penn State, and Ohio State, the conference outscored opponents 36-4, with Michigan leading the charge thanks to an 11-1 victory over Colgate.

A Livonia, MI native, Naurato played four years at Michigan, making the NCAA tournament each season from 2006-09. Following his collegiate career, he had stops in Stockton (ECHL), Toledo (ECHL), Port Huron (IHL), Fort Wayne (CHL), and Dayton (CHL).