Brandon Naurato

Brandon Naurato
Current position
TitleHead Coach
TeamMichigan
ConferenceBig Ten
Record49–27–6 (.634)
Biographical details
Born (1985-01-22) January 22, 1985 (age 39)
Livonia, Michigan, USA
Alma materUniversity of Michigan
Playing career
2005–2009Michigan
2008–2009Stockton Thunder
2009–2010Toledo Walleye
2009–2010Port Huron Icehawks
2010–2011Fort Wayne Komets
2010–2012Dayton Gems
Position(s)Forward
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2021–2022Michigan (asst.)
2022–presentMichigan
Head coaching record
Overall49–27–6 (.634)
Tournaments4–2 (.667)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships

Brandon Naurato is an American former ice hockey player and current head coach for Michigan.

Playing career

Naurato's college career began in the fall of 2005 when he joined the ice hockey team at Michigan. He played for legendary head coach Red Berenson during a very successful time for the program. Naurato provided depth scoring for a Wolverine team that won 109 games during his 4-year tenure, making the NCAA tournament each season.[1] After graduating with a degree in general studies,[2] Naurato played professional hockey for parts of 4 seasons.

Coaching career

Following his playing career, Naurato worked for USA Hockey as the Director of player Development for almost eight years. Near the end of his stint with the organization, he took on additional responsibilities as a player development consultant with the Detroit Red Wings. In August of 2021, after former assistant Kris Mayotte was hired to be the head coach at Colorado College, Naurato joined the staff at his alma mater. During the 2022 offseason, Michigan's head coach, Mel Pearson, was accused of mistreating both players and staff during his tenure with the Wolverines.[3] In early August, Pearson was dismissed from his position and the program scrambled to find his replacement.[4] Because the vacancy happened so close to the start of the next season, the Wolverines were not able to perform a typical hiring search. On August 7, 2022, Michigan promoted Naurato to interim head coach for the 2022–23 season.[5][6] On March 31, 2023, Naurato was promoted to permanent head coach, agreeing to a five-year contract.[7]

Career statistics

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2003–04 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders USHL 44 9 7 16 18 4 0 1 1 0
2004–05 Cedar Rapids RoughRiders USHL 49 15 10 25 42 5 0 0 0 4
2005–06 Michigan CCHA 31 7 3 10 8 — — — — —
2006–07 Michigan CCHA 40 12 11 23 34 — — — — —
2007–08 Michigan CCHA 34 7 11 18 22 — — — — —
2008–09 Michigan CCHA 25 6 7 13 32 — — — — —
2008–09 Stockton Thunder ECHL 2 1 1 2 4 10 2 1 3 2
2009–10 Toledo Walleye ECHL 5 0 2 2 2 — — — — —
2009–10 Port Huron Icehawks IHL 61 25 21 46 38 7 2 4 6 6
2010–11 Fort Wayne Komets CHL 19 2 4 6 22 — — — — —
2010–11 Dayton Gems CHL 34 16 18 34 42 3 2 0 2 4
2011–12 Dayton Gems CHL 59 22 18 40 40 — — — — —
NCAA totals 130 32 32 64 96 — — — — —

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Michigan Wolverines (Big Ten) (2022–present)
2022–23 Michigan 26–12–3 12–10–2 2nd NCAA Frozen Four
2023–24 Michigan 23–15–3 11–11–2 4th NCAA Frozen Four
Michigan: 49–27–6 23–21–4
Total: 49–27–6 23–21–4

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

  1. ^ "Through The Years" (PDF). Michigan Wolverines. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 31, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  2. ^ "Brandon Naurato". Linked In. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  3. ^ "Michigan mum on investigation, Mel Pearson remains hockey coach despite no contract". MLive.com. June 17, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  4. ^ "Michigan ice hockey coach Mel Pearson ousted following investigation into alleged misconduct". CBS Sports. August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  5. ^ "Brandon Naurato promoted to interim coach of Michigan Wolverines men's hockey program". ESPN.com. August 7, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  6. ^ Svoboda, Kurt (August 7, 2022). "Brandon Naurato Named Interim Head Coach of Ice Hockey". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  7. ^ McNeil, Kristy (March 31, 2023). "Naurato Named Permanent Head Coach of Michigan Hockey". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 31, 2023.