North Dakota announced on Tuesday the hiring of Bryn Chyzyk as the program’s assistant coach/general manager.
Chyzyk becomes the first general manager to have coaching/recruiting capabilities in college hockey, as he will join the program following a successful run as the general manager of the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks.
“I am so excited to welcome Bryn Chyzyk to our coaching staff,” said North Dakota coach Dane Jackson in a statement. “The relationships he has been able to develop across the entire landscape of hockey will help us find the right types of players we are looking for in our program at all levels of the game. His experience of winning a national championship and spending four seasons as a player at UND will also bring a special knowledge of our program that we hope can be infectious to our current and future student-athletes.”
“Thirteen years ago, I made one of the best decisions in my life to choose to play for UND,” added Chyzyk. “The relationships that were created throughout my time were so impactful in where my life is at today. My family and I couldn’t be more excited to come back to the UND community and I am ready to hit the ground running.”
Chyzyk has spent the previous five seasons with Waterloo, serving as the GM for the last four seasons. Over those years, he has helped the franchise reach the postseason in each of his years as the boss, including the only western conference team to finish among the top three in the last three campaigns. The Black Hawks are currently third once again in the conference standings with a record of 32-18-6-4 entering the final weekend of the regular season.
Prior to Waterloo, Chyzyk worked as a graduate assistant at North Dakota during the 2019-20 season, helping the program capture the Penrose Cup and finish as the No. 1 team in the nation with a 26-5-4 overall record prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. In his role, Chyzyk primarily assisted with hockey operations and evaluation of potential recruiting targets.
Chyzyk had a successful playing career as well, playing four seasons at North Dakota from 2012 to 2016. While at UND, he won two Penrose Cups, advanced to three straight NCAA Frozen Fours and captured the program’s eighth national title in 2015-16 while serving as an alternate captain. He finished his career with 24 goals and 23 assists for 47 points in 128 career games.
Following his collegiate career, Chyzyk played professional hockey at the AHL and ECHL level before having his playing career cut short due to an injury.
