Former Wolverine Bill Muckalt has been added to head coach Mel Pearson's hockey staff, bringing back to Ann Arbor someone Pearson has worked with closely in the past.
The two-time national champion at U-M, Muckalt (1995-98) returns after serving as head coach and general manager of the Tri-City Storm of the United States Hockey League the past two years. Before that, Muckalt worked as an assistant coach at Michigan Tech under Pearson for four seasons.
"Billy has had great success everywhere he has coached," Pearson said. "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."
Muckalt, who enjoyed a solid career in the NHL after performing at Michigan, didn't hide his excitement about being back.
"I am humbled and privileged to be back at Michigan — it's a special place," Muckalt said. "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."
Muckalt guided Tri-City to a 49-46-16-9 record its first Clark Cup in franchise history two years ago. He helped Michigan Tech, under Pearson, to a 29-10-2 mark in 2014-15, the team tying for the most wins in college hockey and garnering an NCAA playoff berth.
The new Michigan assistant played five seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators and Minnesota Wild of the NHL. He scored 97 career points (40 goals, 57 assists) in his pro career.
At U-M, Muckalt accounted for 105 goals and 121 assists for 226 points, putting him No. 6 on Michigan's all-time goal-scoring list. He became a Hobey Baker Award finalist and first-team All-American as a senior in 1997-98.
