Michigan announced Tuesday the hiring of Bill Muckalt as the Wolverines’ new associate head coach.
A four-year letter-winner (1994-98) and two-time national champion at U of M, Muckalt returns to his alma mater after spending the past two seasons as head coach and general manager of the Tri-City Storm of the USHL.
Prior to his stint with the Storm, Muckalt served as an assistant coach at Michigan Tech for four years under Pearson after a successful career in the NHL.
“Billy has had great success everywhere he has coached,” Pearson said in a statement. “Having won two national championships, he is familiar with the winning tradition of Michigan hockey. Billy will be a great addition to our staff, and I’m extremely excited to be bringing him back to Ann Arbor. Our players will really benefit from his experience and knowledge of the game.”
“I am humbled and privileged to be back at Michigan — it’s a special place,” added Muckalt. “I’m excited to work with Mel again and looking forward to working with Brian (Wiseman), Steve (Shields) and the rest of the staff. I can’t wait to start getting to know our student-athletes and helping them develop and help them reach their dreams and goals. I look forward to embracing the tradition and enriching the future of Michigan Hockey.”
In his two seasons with Tri-City, Muckalt compiled a 49-46-16-9 record and led the Storm to its first Clark Cup in franchise history during the 2015-16 season.
Muckalt previously held head coaching positions at the junior level with the Valencia Flyers of the WSHL (2009-10) and New Mexico Mustangs of the NAHL (2010-11). He began his coaching career at Eastern Michigan with its ACHA team in 2006-07 before moving up to head coach the following season.
Over the course of his five-year NHL career, Muckalt skated with Vancouver, New York Islanders, Ottawa and Minnesota. Muckalt tallied 97 career points (40 goals, 57 assists), with his most productive season coming as a rookie with Vancouver when he posted 16 goals and 20 assists in 73 games in 1998-99.
