GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Michigan and Michigan State hockey coach's, Brandon Naurato and Adam Nightingale, are two of nine finalists for the American Hockey Coaches Association Spencer Penrose National Coach of the Year honors.
The nominees represent any coach who won or shared Coach of the Year honors in his conference this past season, as well as coaches whose teams have advanced to the 2024 NCAA Frozen Four.
Nightingale has been the architect of one of the most dramatic turnarounds in college hockey. Recently completing his second season at the helm, his two MSU squads have improved by six and seven wins year-over-year, respectively, and his 2023-24 team won both the Big Ten Regular Season and Tournament championships.
He returned the Spartans to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012 and captured the program’s first NCAA victory since 2008 before falling in the NCAA regional final on Sunday in Maryland Heights, Mo. He was a Big Ten Coach of the Year finalist in 2023 before being voted the winner of the award this year.
For Naurato's, this is the second time in as many years being named a finalist -- as he also makes the Frozen Four for the second year in his second season as head coach of the Wolverines. He is the first Michigan coach to back-to-back 20-win seasons to start their career.
Michigan sports the nation's top power play, converting at 34.5 percent. U-M is the only team in the NCAA that is over 30 percent and currently holds the 12th-best power play data in NCAA history and the best since 1987. The Wolverines have scored on 50 of 145 chances.
The Wolverines average 4.23 points per game, third in the NCAA, and have the best scoring offense at Michigan since 2015-16. Michigan has six players that average more than one point per game, including the Big Ten Player of the Year Gavin Brindley, the NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player Dylan Duke, Rutger McGroarty, Frank Nazar III, T.J. Hughes and defenseman Seamus Casey.
Michigan will make an NCAA-record 28th appearance in the Frozen Four and holds the record for most NCAA national titles, along with Denver, with nine.
Here is a list of the finalists for this years award:
Greg Brown, Boston College, Hockey East COY and NCAA Semifinalist
David Carle, University of Denver, NCAA Semifinalist
Reid Cashman, Dartmouth, ECAC Hockey COY
Kris Mayotte, Colorado College, NCHC COY
Brandon Naurato, University of Michigan, NCAA Semifinalist
Adam Nightingale, Michigan State, Big Ten COY
Jay Pandolfo, Boston University, NCAA Semifinalist
Tom Serratore, Bemidji State, CCHA COY
Wayne Wilson, RIT, Atlantic Hockey COY
The winner of the Spencer Penrose Award will be announced on Wednesday, May 1, at the 2024 AHCA Hockey Convention in Naples, Fla. The Spencer Penrose Award is named in memory of the Colorado Springs benefactor who built the Broadmoor Hotel Complex, site of the first 10 NCAA championship hockey tournaments.
