Congratulations, Michigan hockey fans, your team is number one in the country.

While you can make the argument that interim head coach Brandon Naurato was handed the keys to a Ferrari upon walking into Yost Arena, and it's certainly a valid one, it's his responsibility to avoid crashing said Ferrari and totaling it.

He's gone above and beyond to stabilize a hockey program that could've easily folded and fragmented after a rough few months of investigating the former regime. What the program needed in the aftermath was someone who understands a winning culture, someone who has been in the skates of his players and someone that can carry on the traditions of a program that is functioning as one of the better programs in the country both on the ice and from a recruiting perspective.

Naurato checks every box.

Naurato played for the Wolverines under legendary head coach Red Berenson, and participated in the NCAA Tournament in all four seasons he was in Ann Arbor. He completed his first year as an assistant with the program last year and has spent multiple years working with the Detroit Red Wings as a consultant.

The man knows hockey and he certainly didn't luck into the position he has now.

U-M has been recruiting at a high level for years now and things haven't slowed down under Naurato's watch.

Two big-time additions in recent days include center Nick Moldenhauer, a third-round draft selection by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and USHL talent Tanner Rowe, who flipped from UMass to the Wolverines.

Both players are considered high-level talents that will be contributors to the Wolverines in the future.

Recruiting is alive and well for the Wolverines and Naurato's chops are on full display. Things don't appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

As for what's happening on the ice, Naurato is leading a 7-1-0 team currently that ranks the top in the country. After impressive series against the likes of Boston University of Western Michigan, it's clear that Naurato has the program continuing to play top-tier hockey while still trying to patch a culture that was damaged by the previous regime.

While it is still early in the season, it's clear that the direction the program is headed under Naurato hasn't skipped a beat. He came into an unfortunate situation but he hit the ground running as soon as he was named the interim head coach and the Wolverines are flying on the ice.

All of this suggests that Naurato deserves to be the leader of this program and the interim tag should be removed from his title as soon as possible.

It's the least the athletic department can do to ensure there isn't any doubt about the future of this program.

It's in great hands with Naurato and he's earned the opportunity to lead the program into the future.

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