Ice Hockey
- Title:
- Graham Family Head Ice Hockey Coach
A three-time finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award, Brandon Naurato has led the Wolverines to three Frozen Four appearances in his first four seasons as head coach. He has also guided Michigan to two Big Ten Tournament titles and owns 98 career wins, the most by any coach in program history through four seasons. A 2009 graduate of the Michigan, Naurato was named the Graham Family Head Ice Hockey Coach in March 2023 after a season as interim head coach.Â
In his tenure, Naurato has coached a Hobey Baker Award winner, two additional Hobey Baker finalists, six All-Americans, 13 All-Big Ten selections, a Derek Hines Award recipient, an NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete and 12 players who have gone on to make their NHL debuts.
Michigan's power play has ranked in the top 10 nationally in each of the past four seasons under Naurato, including No. 1 finishes in 2024-25 (31.9 percent) and 2023-24 (33.6 percent). The Wolverines have also boasted one of the nation's top offenses, finishing in the top three in three of the last four seasons: first in 2025-26 (4.53 goals per game), second in 2022-23 (4.17) and third in 2023-24 (4.12).
The 2025-26 season saw Naurato bring his team to another Frozen Four after winning the Big Ten Tournament Championship. The No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Wolverines were ranked No. 1 in the nation for 15 weeks during the regular season including an 11-week streak. That 11-week run was the program's longest atop the polls since the 1996-97 team was ranked first from mid-November through the season's end. During the season, Naurato guided the Wolverines to five road sweeps, the most in a single season in program history. The winningest team in the NCAA this season, Naurato's squad had 31 victories - a 13-win improvement from last season. The Wolverines were picked to finish fourth in the Big Ten and began the season ranked No. 12.
Following the season, Naurato earned his first international coaching nod, being named assistant coach for the U.S. National Men's Hockey Team in advance of the 2026 IIHF World Championships.
In his first season as head coach, Naurato guided the Wolverines to the Big Ten Tournament Championship and a coveted place in the Frozen Four. UM’s 7-1 mark to begin the season was the best start ever for a Michigan hockey coach. Throughout the season, Michigan was one of the highest scoring offenses (4.17) in the nation despite being the nation's youngest team. The Wolverines were ranked in the top 10 of the national polls all season, and as the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament upset top-seeded Minnesota on its home ice to capture the crown. Finishing the regular season at No. 3 in the pairwise rankings, Michigan earned a No. 1 seed in the program's 40th NCAA appearance. The Wolverines made history scoring the most goals in an NCAA Regional with an 11-1 victory over Colgate before defeating host Penn State, 2-1 in overtime to make back-to-back appearances in the Frozen Four. Naurato’s squad fell to eventual national champion Quinnipiac but had plenty of national highlights, including Adam Fantilli becoming the third UM player to capture the Hobey Baker Award. He and Luke Hughes were named first-team All-Americans.Â
In his season as interim head coach the Michigan alum led the Wolverines to the Big Ten Tournament Championship and a run to the 2022 NCAA Frozen Four. Michigan posted a record of 31-10-1 and set a new program record with 16 sellout crowds at Yost Ice Arena. Michigan's high-octane offense included a program-record seven first-round NHL Draft picks and 13 selections overall. The third-best scoring offense (3.98) in the nation featured a potent power play ranked third at 27 percent. Matty Beniers, Luke Hughes and Owen Power were named All-Americans while goaltender Erik Portillo was a finalist for the Mike Richter Award, leading the nation in saves while capturing Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Midwest Region MVP honors.
A native of Livonia, Mich., Naurato spent three seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, serving as a Player Development Consultant. He worked with the Red Wings and Grand Rapids (AHL) Griffins coaching staffs to implement individual skill development. Year-long individualized plans for each player, team tactics, and the identification of current trends through analytics and video analysis were focus areas for Naurato.
Along with running all prospect development for Detroit in the Summer months, Brandon owns and manages his own development business, Naurato Consulting. He has enrolled over 170 junior, college and professional players over the past two years with a focus on blending technical, tactical and transferable skills. He also spent seven years as the owner and director of Total Package Hockey in Detroit where he started the first online hockey academy in the United States.
Notable NHL players who have worked with Naurato include Zach Werenski, Quinn Hughes, Dylan Larkin, Jacob Trouba, Jack Hughes, Kyle Connor, JT Compher and Andrew Copp.
Naurato played four years at Michigan, from 2006-09, making the NCAA Tournament all four years. In 130 career games he scored 32 goals and 32 assists. He helped the Wolverines to the CCHA Championship in 2008, leading to a Frozen Four appearance. Following his collegiate career, he played four years in the pros, making stops at Stockton (ECHL), Toledo (ECHL), Port Huron (IHL), Fort Wayne (CHL) and Dayton (CHL).
