Confirmed: Bill Muckalt leaving Michigan after 6 seasons as associate head coach

This story was updated May 3 at 1:39 p.m. to confirm the original reports that Muckalt was leaving the Michigan hockey program. The update also included a statement from the Michigan program.

After spending six seasons behind the bench with the Michigan hockey team as an associate head coach, Bill Muckalt is leaving Ann Arbor this offseason.

College Hockey News reported Tuesday that Muckalt is leaving the Wolverines program. Michigan confirmed the departure Wednesday afternoon.

“Michigan hockey and coach Bill Muckalt have mutually agreed to part ways,” a Michigan spokesperson wrote in a statement Wednesday. “We thank him for his service to the program and he’ll always be a valued member of the Michigan hockey program.”

Muckalt’s departure represents the first front office shakeup since Michigan coach Brandon Naurato earned the long-term coaching job.

The writing has been on the wall for this move for some time. Muckalt was one of two people interviewed to take over as interim head coach of the Wolverines when former coach Mel Pearson was fired for misconduct last August. Muckalt did not earn the job despite his time as associate head coach with the program, and Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel opted to give Naurato — with one season of assistant coaching experience under his belt — the interim gig.

Naurato ran with the opportunity, and earned the full-time job after taking the Wolverines to a Big Ten tournament championship and the Frozen Four in his first year at the helm.

Muckalt leaves Ann Arbor with a 125-77-19 record as associate head coach. His experience suggests he could earn a head coach position for a different program — collegiate, junior or even minor league. He’s coached in high junior hockey and the NCAA since 2010, including four years as a Michigan Tech assistant coach and two years as coach and general manager of the USHL’s Tri-City Storm.

But with so much experience at the college level, Muckalt could also explore his professional options. NHL and AHL teams continuously hire college assistant and associate head coaches to be assistant coaches, and Muckalt’s five-year NHL playing career means he has plenty of connections to fall back on, not to mention the connections he can lean on from his time at Michigan.

Muckalt’s exit comes a year before his contract is set to expire. According to a document obtained by The Michigan Daily through an open records request, Muckalt’s three-year extension signed in August 2021 included a $230,000 salary for this upcoming season — the highest of all three years.

By opting to leave early, Muckalt forgoes that paycheck. It is unclear which party initiated the alleged exit — Michigan or Muckalt — but the move makes sense considering the upheaval of the Wolverines’ front office since last August.

How Michigan fills this opening could reveal the identity that Naurato wants his program to follow in the future. Muckalt was a crucial recruiter for Ontario-born players, as well as those in the Alberta and British Columbia junior hockey leagues. He also coached the defense, including stars like Owen Power, Quinn Hughes and Luke Hughes that built an image of Michigan as a factory for NHL-level scoring defensemen. Whoever fills Muckalt’s position could bring different recruiting tendencies.

Naurato seemingly has a blank canvas to create the Michigan program he wants. The rest of his coaching staff served the 2022-23 season on one-year agreements, essentially “prove-it” deals due to the nature of Naurato’s interim tag. Now that he’s secured the full job, and with Muckalt leaving, Naurato has the creative license to paint a proverbial picture of what he wants his program to look like.

However, that painting doesn’t include Muckalt. Instead, a different associate head coach will have to fill those open shoes.

Bill Muckalt could not be reached for comment.