Mike Haviland CentralColorado Springs, CO -- Former Elmira College men's ice hockey All-American and team captain Mike Haviland '90 has been named the head coach for the Colorado College men's ice hockey program. Haviland, who has traveled throughout the various coaching ranks for the last 20 years, most recently was the head coach for the AHL's Hershey Bears. Prior to leading the Bears this past season, Haviland served as an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks from 2008-12, helping the franchise bring home the Stanley Cup in 2010. Before ascending to the NHL, he made several successful stops with teams in both the AHL and the ECHL dating back to 2001. Haviland coached the AHL's Norfolk Admirals from 2005-07, winning the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Coach of the Year award in 2006-07. He also coached the ECHL's Trenton Titans in 2004-05 and Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies from 2001-04, leading both franchises to ECHL Championships in 2004-05 and 2002-03, respectively.
"In Mike Haviland we have hired one of the most successful and widely respected coaches in the industry" said Colorado College Athletic Director Ken Ralph. "Mike has won championships at multiple levels and has always produced winning programs. He has a deep understanding of the values of a liberal arts education and respect for the position of this program in the Colorado Springs community. We [Colorado College] have aspirations of winning national championships, and I am confident we have found the right coach to turn our vision into reality."
While Colorado College will be Haviland's first taste of Division I men's ice hockey, Haviland is no stranger to the collegiate game. He was a four-year member of the Elmira College men's ice hockey team, from 1986-90, and remains one of the best point-producers in EC history. He accumulated 152 points in his four-year career, which is 12th all-time, and is tied for ninth all-time in career goals scored with 68. Haviland, a 1989-90 Second Team All-American, won two ECAC West Championships as a player, in 1987-88 and 1989-90, and helped the Soaring Eagles make two NCAA Division III Tournament appearances, which included being the National Runner-Ups in 1987-88.
After being drafted by the New Jersey Devils in 1990, Haviland played in the ECHL for two teams before returning to his alma mater in 1996 to begin his career as an assistant coach for long-time head coach Glenn Thomaris. Haviland spent two seasons at EC as an assistant head coach, helping the Soaring Eagles to the 1996-97 ECAC West Championship.
Haviland joins a Colorado College team that is one of the more storied programs in Division I Men's Ice Hockey history. The Tigers, founded in 1938, have won two NCAA Championships and finished as the National Runner-Up three other times. Colorado College, formerly of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WHCA), won the WHCA regular season title nine times and the WHCA Tournament once. The Tigers joined the newly formed National Collegiate Hockey Conference, which includes the likes of Denver University, the University of North Dakota, and the University of Minnesota – Duluth, for the 2013-14 season.
"I'm thrilled to be part of the Colorado College family. I was very impressed with the school's commitment to excellence in academics and hockey," Haviland said in a statement. "I have great plans for this team. I expect that we will be national contenders. The school provides every opportunity for us to succeed on and off the ice. This is an exciting opportunity for me and my family."
