Dave Shyiak Celebrating the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship 2023 (Photo Prout)
St. Cloud, MN – A return to your alma mater to become the head coach is a dream job in collegiate coaching. It’s safe to say Dave Shyiak landed his dream job after being named the Northern Michigan University head hockey coach on June 26, 2024.
“This is an incredible opportunity to return to my home away from home,” Shyiak said. “Northern Michigan and Marquette are really special to me and my family. We have remained close to a lot of our friends and fellow alums in the Upper Peninsula. To start as a student-athlete in 1987 and come full circle to lead the hockey program as head coach is something for which I will forever be grateful. I want to thank President Tessman and Rick Comley for believing in me. I feel honored and privileged, and I will do everything I can to make this University and community proud.”
“I’m thrilled that Dave Shyiak will be returning to campus to lead our hockey program,” Athletic Director Rick Comley said. “Dave was a part of our National Championship team and helped keep our program at an extremely high level as an assistant coach for many years.”
A 1991 graduate of Northern Michigan University, Shyiak played four seasons with the Wildcats (1987-91), where he helped captain the 1991 National Championship team and was a member of the 1989 and 1991 WCHA Playoff championship teams. Shyiak returned to Northern to begin his coaching career as an assistant (1995-2002) under Comley before being promoted to associate head coach for three seasons (2002-05).
Shyiak spent 10 years as an assistant coach primarily under the legendary Rick Comley before accepting the head coaching position at the University of Alaska-Anchorage in 2005. Historically, a difficult place to succeed in the win/loss column, Shyiak nevertheless won 80 games over his eight-year tenure with the Seawolves. The high-water mark of 16 wins in 2010-11 is the second-most yearly wins in the team’s history as a Western Collegiate Hockey Association member.
Perhaps his most visible success came that same year as the Seawolves finished that season strong, winning nine of their last 14 games, sweeping the University of Minnesota in the First Round of the WCHA playoffs at Mariucci Arena but ultimately losing to Colorado College in the WCHA Final Five play-in game. Shyiak spent two more seasons at UAA before working as a scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013-14.
Dave Shyiak, Western Michigan University (Photo Prout)
Shyiak was named associate head coach of the Western Michigan hockey team on Sept. 15, 2014, and he remained in that position until his hiring by the Huskies in May of 2020. During his time with the Broncos, the team averaged 16 wins per season, including 22 wins in 2016-17 and a trip to the NCAA tournament. While with the Broncos, he’s helped recruit five NHL draft choices, including high-end players Hugh McGing, Wade Allison, and Mattius Samuelson. Additionally, 90 WMU players earned NCHC All-Academic honors and 38 NCHC Scholar-Athlete status.
In his four seasons as associate head coach at St. Cloud State University, he helped lead the program to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including an NCAA runner-up finish in 2020-21.
He is an energetic recruiter but highly personable; it was easy to see why he was successful at Western Michigan University and, recently, at SCSU. Always accessible, he had that old-school approach that was always appealing to the fans and media.
He’ll have his work cut out for him with a reclamation project at NMU after seeing 18 players depart via the transfer portal and all of his top 2024-25 freshmen poached by other teams after Grant Potulny announced his departure on June 11.
Departing freshmen include NHL draftee Hampton Slukynsky (WM), perhaps the top goaltender in the USHL in 2023-24, and forward Adam Pietala (UW). Also, sophomore Grant Slukynsky will follow his brother to Western Michigan University. The status of NHL draft choices and freshmen Rasmus Larsson and Vladislav Lukehevich will be determined.
“It might be a terrible time to hire a coach,” commented Comley two weeks ago. “But it might be the best time. We are not bringing someone in to build a program or create something that has never been here. There are no shortcuts that lead to success. That’s why a hire has to be done properly; that’s why the guidance has to be done properly.”
Now, with just a little more than three months before the start of the season, the wheels are in motion for the Huskies to make an expedited emergency hire as a replacement for Shyiak.
Note: The story was written along with information from the June 26, 2024, Northern Michigan press release.
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