Colorado College Hires Mike Haviland as Head Coach

Colorado College announced on Friday morning that Hershey Bears(AHL) head coach Mike Haviland will be the next coach.

Haviland, a native of New Jersey, has spent his entire coaching career in the professional ranks, starting in the ECHL, where he won Kelly Cup championships with both Atlantic City and Trenton. From there, he moved on to the AHL, where he was head coach for both Norfolk and Rockford, before becoming an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks for four seasons. After being fired by the Blackhawks, he spent a year as an AHL assistant in Norfolk, before becoming a head coach in the AHL again this past season with Hershey, where the Bears missed out on the last playoff spot in the Eastern conference by two points.

Haviland's pro experience is certainly top-notch, and he's well-respected as a bench coach, and for his ability to communicate with players. That said, there may be an adjustment to the intricacies of college hockey, especially when it comes to recruiting and roster management, which is certainly an area Colorado College will need to improve if they hope to remain competitive within their conference. Colorado College does have two very experienced assistant coaches which should help ease that transition, however.