Michigan has announced the hiring of Mathew Deschamps and Kevin Reiter as assistant coaches.
Additionally, Rob Rassey has been promoted to associate head coach and Evan Hall to director of hockey operations.
“Last season, we led the country in goals for,” Michigan head coach Brandon Naurato said in a statement. “And with the addition of Deschamps and Reiter, they are going to make the defensive side of our game that much better, and it will have a huge impact on Michigan hockey.”
Deschamps has spent the last three seasons with the USHL’s Chicago Steel, first as assistant coach and then associate head coach.
“Deschamps is one of the best defensive developers in the game of hockey,” Naurato said. “His attention to detail on the technical and tactical aspects with the puck, and more importantly without the puck is next level. He’ll run the penalty kill and the defensemen in-game and will help us take another step forwards in both areas.”
A 2005 graduate of Maine, Deschamps played four years for the Black Bears, appearing in 111 games on defense and serving as alternate captain as a senior. He assisted on the triple-overtime goal in the 2004 Hockey East championship and helped Maine to four straight NCAA tournament appearances, including two Frozen Four spots.
He played professionally for five seasons, split between the AHL and ECHL before taking his first coaching job in Salzburg, Austria with the EC Red Bull Salzburg (RBS) Hockey Club. He was head coach of the RBS U18 team and served the club in director and development coordinator roles from 2014 to 2016. He was hired as an assistant coach at St. Lawrence in 2016 and served in that role for three seasons.
Reiter comes to Ann Arbor from the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, where he was the NTDP goaltending coach from 2013 to 2017 before being named director of player personnel in 2017. Reiter’s responsibilities with the NTDP included overseeing the Warren Strelow Goaltending Mentor Program, coaching the NTDP goalies, evaluating, recruiting and educating prospective national team players and families.
“Reiter has been the general manager and sole decision maker on picking the national development team for the last eight years,” Naurato said. “He knows what high-end talent looks like, how to identify it and how to work with those types of players. Reiter will be a huge asset in supporting Rob Rassey in recruiting and roster management.”
On the addition of a third assistant coach, Naurato stated: “We believe that Michigan, in general, is all about player development. Adding a full-time goalie coach, who will be there seven days a week will have a huge impact on our program. A great communicator and teacher, he’ll not only develop the goalies of the future for Michigan hockey but identify the right goalies we need to target during recruiting.”
Reiter has won seven gold medals with the USA, including four gold medals at the IIHF U18 Men’s Worlds (2014, 2015, 2017, 2023) and three gold medals at the World U17 Hockey Challenge (2014, 2017, 2023). He also won a silver medal at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games, a bronze medal at the World Junior Championship in 2016 and a bronze medal at the Men’s World Championships in 2021.
Before joining the NTDP, Reiter spent two seasons coaching professionally in Italy. He acted as the assistant and goaltending coach of the WSC Sterzing-SSI Vipiteno Broncos, as well as coached their junior teams. While in Italy, Reiter served as a goaltending consultant for the Italian Men’s National Team during the 2012 IIHF World Championships.
A 2004 graduate of Alaska Anchorage, Reiter played four years for the Seawolves while earning a degree in business management. He followed with a seven-year professional career, from 2004-11, in various leagues in North America and Europe. In 2008, he was named the IHL goalie of the year and won a Turner Cup championship with the Fort Wayne Komets. He earned a master’s in business administration at the University of Winchester (England) while playing two seasons in the Elite Hockey League.
