How Michigan hockey's style will differ under Naurato
What will Michigan hockey play like this season with a new leader in the locker room?
That's the question everyone is asking newly-minted interim head coach Brandon Naurato.
After athletic director Warde Manuel fired Mel Pearson following an investigation into the toxicity of the program, Naurato was appointed as the new coach.
With a rich background in skill development, the former CCHA champion has coached in a one-on-one setting far more than a team setting.
The transition naturally creates curiosity about the style U-M will come out with this season under not only a new head coach but a young one with a young staff that has a plethora of experience in the NHL and NCAA.
So, how different will the team look under Naurato compared to Pearson, style-wise?
"You want me to give away all my secrets on a Zoom call?" Naurato said during Michigan hockey's media day, hosted on a Zoom call on September 27. "They should be able to figure it out quickly when you watch video and as you get to know us."
Naurato played four years at Michigan (2006-2009) and played four years professionally in multiple leagues, including the ECHL.
Arguably his most valuable coaching experience was his three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings as a Player Development Consultant, working with the NHL and AHL (Grand Rapids Griffins) teams.
As a "skills coach" (Naurato prefers the term "development coach"), the 37-year-old owns a consulting company that's allowed him to work with over 170 junior, college, and professional players., including former Wolverines Zach Werenski (Blue Jackets), Quinn Hughes (Canucks), Dylan Larkin (Red Wings), Jacob Trouba (Rangers), Jack Hughes (Devils), Andrew Copp (Red Wings), among others.
Last year, Naurato ran practices for the Wolverines in his first year as an assistant, and although he's new to being a head coach, his philosophy is laid out and understood by the personnel.
"Our whole offensive philosophy is C.P.R.: Creativity, predictability, and responsibility," he said.
Naurato explained the team's identity in detail.
"Creativity, at Michigan especially, we want these guys to be themselves. We want them to do what they do well," he said. "We want to be predictable to each other so that when you're being outnumbered or getting pressured, they know the routes that they can run to support their teammates to break that pressure. And we want to be responsible to each other."
He continued.
"We want to be ultra-aggressive, and to do that, we need to know when to make the right decisions; when to jump, when to pinch. So we need the responsibility of the F3 or other players on the ice to allow guys to be aggressive, so we don't have to sit back."
One of the biggest hurdles for any young and new head coach in any sport is figuring out your philosophy, implementing it in the locker room, and seeing it come to fruition in-game.
Naurato won't have to jump that hurdle because he already has a clear, concise vision for how his first -- and for his sake, hopefully not his last -- team will play.
Michigan opens the season with an exhibition game against Windsor on Saturday, October 1, inside Yost Arena.
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