Adrian has announced the hiring of Adam Phillips as head coach of the Bulldogs men’s hockey team.
Phillips will serve as the program’s third head coach in program history, taking over for Adam Krug, who left for an assistant coaching job with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors in July.
“Adrian College is very excited that Adam Phillips has agreed to be our third head coach for our high-caliber men’s hockey team,” Adrian athletic director Craig Rainey said in a statement. “He was a former assistant at AC for our national championship team in 2022. He knows what hockey means to the city of Adrian and our campus. We know Coach Phillips brings a ton of hockey experience, knowledge, and coaching ability to our program.”
Phillips returns to Adrian after serving as assistant coach from 2020 to 2022. After a short time away from the Bulldogs, Phillips returned on a volunteer assistant coach status for the remainder for the 2022-23 season. During his time at Adrian, the Bulldogs won three NCHA Peters Cup championships and two NCHA Harris Cup championships. Phillips was the assistant coach when Adrian went on to win its first NCAA national championship in 2022 and was also a member of the coaching staff that was national runner-up in 2023.
“It’s an absolute honor to be named the third head coach in program history,” Phillips said. “I’d like to thank President Docking, Frank Hribar, Craig Rainey, Meg Sharp, Bill Schindel and the entire search committee for their trust and belief in me. This program, Adrian College as a whole, and the Adrian community is incredibly special to my family and I. We are thrilled to be returning to Adrian. Lastly, I need to extend a special thank you to Adam Krug for his mentorship and friendship. The opportunity to continue what Coach Fogarty started in 2007, along with the success Coach Krug has built and achieved over the last ten years, is not something I take lightly.
“I can’t wait to get started.”
Recently, Phillips served as the assistant to the head coach at Miami. At Miami, Phillips worked with the video and analytics team which contributed to in-game decision making. Phillips also facilitated skills sessions with players and assisted with practice planning and individual player video sessions.
Before coming to Adrian, Phillips served as assistant coach and later interim head coach of the NAHL’s Odessa Jackalopes. In addition, Phillips has worked with Naurato Hockey and was a player development coach for Total Package Hockey.
Prior to coaching, Phillips played four seasons for the UMass before playing a five-year professional career in the ECHL for a variety of teams. Phillips was invited to NHL development camps for the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, and the Minnesota Wild before playing in the AHL for a season with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
