Minnesota has hired Mike Guentzel as associate head coach, bringing him back to a team where he was an assistant from 1994-2008.
Guentzel, who also played defense for Minnesota from 1981-1985, was an assistant coach at Nebraska-Omaha last season.
“I wanted to hire a Minnesota alumnus, someone who could work with the defensemen and someone familiar with the WCHA,” Minnesota coach Don Lucia said in a statement. “Mike has all the qualities I was looking for and it was an easy decision. Mike knows the league, Gopher hockey, and also has a tremendous relationship with (assistant coaches) Grant Potulny and Justin Johnson. He is also energized and excited to be a part of the transition to the Big Ten.”
Guentzel and his wife, Sally, have three sons: Ryan, Gabe and Jake. Ryan played collegiate hockey at Notre Dame and will play professionally in Europe next year. Gabe is a senior defenseman at Colorado College and Jake is a junior on the Hill-Murray School hockey team.
