Minnesota will welcome a pair of alums to its coaching staff with Ben Gordon being named assistant director of hockey operations and Corey Millen joining the program as an undergraduate assistant.
“Ben and Corey share our passion and vision for the Gopher Hockey program, and we are excited to welcome them back to campus as members of our staff,” Minnesota head coach Don Lucia said in a statement. “Ben and Corey have had great success both as players and coaches and that wealth of experience will be a tremendous asset for our players and our program.”
Gordon, who played for Minnesota from 2004 to 2008, will oversee the day-to-day video operations for the Gophers program while also assisting with general hockey operations responsibilities. He returns to the Gophers after serving as an assistant coach in the United States Hockey League last season, helping the Tri-City Storm capture the 2016 Clark Cup. Prior to joining the Tri-City staff, Gordon spent the 2014-15 season as an assistant coach and later as interim head coach at St. Scholastica.
Millen will work with the Gophers staff while completing his undergraduate degree in recreation, park and leisure studies. He returns to the Gophers after spending the last four seasons as a head coach in the North American Hockey League. Most recently, he led the Minnesota Wilderness to three NAHL playoff appearances in the club’s first three years of league play, including the 2015 Robertson Cup as NAHL champions. Millen also served as head coach of the Alaska Avalanche during the 2011-12 season.
He went on to play professionally for 14 years, including 331 games in the NHL with the New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames – totaling 209 points (90 goals, 119 assists) – after playing for the Gophers from 1982 to 1987.
