Mike MacDonald has been selected as the sixth head coach in Wisconsin-Stout history.
MacDonald, an assistant coach at Curry the last four years, follows Terry Watkins, who was Stout’s varsity coach for 24 seasons and club coach for eight years.
“I believe that UW-Stout has much to offer its hockey players,” MacDonald said in a news release. “The last couple of years that I was playing (at Geneseo), the hockey team under Terry Watkins was a powerhouse. My goal is to bring the program back to that level.
“I am most excited in the possibilities of recruiting for UW-Stout. As far as a hockey student-athlete, Stout has a good fit for almost any student out there. UW-Stout graduates are in a good position to step into a job right away. We will have the opportunity to expand our recruiting. We will be committed to finding the right players for UW-Stout, regardless of location.”
“Mike will have the opportunity to make a unique transition,” UW-Stout athletic director Duey Naatz added. “He will be ushering in a new era of Stout hockey. We are excited for the vision he has for our hockey program, both on and off the ice.”
During MacDonald’s time at Curry, the team went a combined record of 64-31-9. During the 2018-19 season, the MacDonald-coached power play was ranked third in the nation, scoring on 27.4 percent of its opportunities. He was also responsible for recruiting, strength and conditioning, power play, video analysis, analytics, and coaching the defense.
Prior to joining Curry, MacDonald, a native of New Glasgow, N.S., spent a year as an assistant coach at Wentworth Institute of Technology, where he helped guide a young Leopards team to the ECAC Northeast semifinals.
MacDonald graduated from Geneseo in 2007 with a degree in Business Administration. During his time at Geneseo, the team won SUNYAC championships in 2005 and 2006. Over his collegiate career, MacDonald appeared in 109 games and is among the school’s all-time leaders in goals (61) and points (120).
After graduation, MacDonald played six pro seasons in the Central Hockey League and Southern Professional Hockey League, leading the Huntsville Havoc as captain and scoring the game-winning goal to give Huntsville its first-ever SPHL championship in 2010.
Over his career, MacDonald appeared in 338 professional games with 213 points on 84 goals and 129 assists.
MacDonald and his wife, Diana, have a son, Bennett.
