Joe Pavelski among the additions to Wisconsin hockey coaching staff
· Yahoo Sports
MADISON – The coaching staff of the Wisconsin men’s hockey team will be deeper and more decorated this season.
Badgers coach Mike Hastings announced three additions to his staff Aug. 20. Each brings championship credentials or cachet.
Visit lebandit.lat for more information.
The one that will likely have Badgers fans most excited is Joe Pavelski, a United States Hockey Hall of Famer and two-time Olympian who retired from the NHL in 2024 after an 18-year career.
The native of Plover will serve as director of player development.
Pavelski helped the Badgers win the 2006 national championship. One of his teammates from that team, Andy Brandt, returns to for his second stint as an assistant coach.
Brandt served as an assistant to Tony Granato during the 2022-23 season. Brandt spent the past three seasons as the head coach and general manager of the Madison Capitols of the USHL. Brandt fills the spot in the coaching staff created by Kevin Murdock’s departure to join the program at Shattuck St. Mary’s in Minnesota.
Hastings also added Steve Briere, an NHL coach for 12 seasons, as director of goaltending development.
Here is what Hastings said about the moves.
Joe Pavelski captained the 2006 national championship team
Pavelski, who was the leading scorer for the 2006 national championship team, finished his career with 1,068 points in 1,332 games. His 74 playoff goals are the NHL’s American record.
He competed in the 2010 and ’14 Olympics, winning a silver medal in 2010.
“He has been a captain and leader at every level of the game, and those experiences have shaped him into the person and leader he is today,” Hastings said in a news release. “His hockey knowledge, competitive drive and ability to connect with players will be invaluable to our program. We're excited to welcome Joe back to Wisconsin and have him play an important role in the development of our players, both on and off the ice."
Andy Brandt did impressive work with the Madison Capitols
The Wausau native returns to UW after leading the Capitols to the conference finals this past season. In addition to his work with the Capitols, Brandt was the head coach of the U.S. Junior Select Team that won the 2025 World Junior A Challenge.
“His success with USA Hockey along his development of the Capitols from each season's start to finish is something that will make our men's hockey program better,” Hastings said in the release. “He has shown the ability to impact his player's overall development throughout a season, and we look forward to adding that to our program."
Steve Briere played for Mike Hastings in Omaha
During 12 of Briere’s years in the NHL, he served as head goaltending coach for 10 seasons. In his most recent role, he spent three seasons coaching the position for the Seattle Kraken (2022-25). Before that he was with Toronto for seven seasons.
Briere played for Hastings at Omaha of the USHL.
"I'm honored to have coached Steve in juniors and have admired his career from afar. With his elite resume coaching goaltenders with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Seattle Kraken, I'm excited to see the impact he can make to add to the incredible history of the goaltenders who have come through this program."
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Joe Pavelski among the additions to Wisconsin hockey coaching staff