New Gophers men’s hockey coach Don Lucia announced last week that Mike Guentzel and John Hill have been named assistant coaches for the 1999-2000 season.
Guentzel served a similar role under Doug Woog for the past five seasons, while Hill comes to Minnesota after spending the last four years as one of Lucia’s assistants at Colorado College.
Guentzel was a candidate for the position filled by Lucia, and will remain for a sixth season with the Gophers. He began his coaching career in 1986 as an assistant with the St. Paul Vulcans of the United States Hockey League, and was a captain for the Minnesota hockey team during the 1984-85 season.
Hill spent four years at Alaska-Anchorage as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator before working under Lucia in Colorado Springs. Hill has been active with USA Hockey, coaching select-17 teams in Ann Arbor, Mich., and St. Cloud, Minn., the last two summers. In August, he was an assistant coach for the WCHA all-star team that competed at the Kolin Cup in Switzerland.
Hill will move to Minnesota soon and is expected to assume his new duties sometime in mid-May.
“I’m excited about our staff and what we will be able to accomplish together,” Lucia said. “Mike (Guentzel) has proven to be an outstanding recruiter, and I believe it’s important to have an ‘M’ man (alumnus) on staff.
“John (Hill) … is a big reason we have had the success we did with the Tigers. We always seem to be on the same page in our thinking, which makes for an easy relationship.
“John, Mike and I are all friends and get along personally very well, and that can be a big plus in establishing working relationships. Both John and Mike will be outstanding head coaches someday.”