On April 9 in the club lounge at Goggin Center on campus of Miami University, Miami introduced its new head hockey coach Anthony Noreen with an official press conference.
“This program just hasn’t been where it needs to be,” Miami director of athletics David Sayler said before he introduced Noreen. “That ends today. This program will compete in the NCHC and it will compete for NCAA tournament bids.”
The two-time United States Hockey League (USHL) coach of the year will be the next to try to lead Miami hockey back to its former glory. After Sayler finished his speech, he invited Noreen up to the stage. Noreen spoke about his philosophies as a coach and what the Miami job means to him.
“This is a special place,” Noreen said once he took the stage. “You can feel it walking through the halls, the locker room, seeing the pictures on the wall and just feeling the aura that Miami hockey has … we want this to be something that everyone involved will be very proud of. I don’t take that lightly.”
This will be Noreen’s 14th year as a high-level head coach, but his first at the helm of a college team.
His first head coaching job was 2011-2015 with the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL, the top junior league in the United States. Then Noreen spent 2015-2017 with the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL, North America’s third-tier professional league. Noreen has spent the last seven seasons as the head coach for the Tri-City Storm of the USHL, compiling a record of 236-126-24-18, qualifying for the playoffs in each of his seven seasons and twice winning USHL coach of the year.
Noreen replaces Miami alum Chris Bergeron, whom Miami let go after four straight seasons finishing last in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), widely regarded as the best conference in college hockey.
There were about a dozen players in attendance at the press conference introducing Noreen, including sophomore forward Johnny Waldron and senior forward Ryan Sullivan.
“He’s known around the hockey world as a players’ coach,” Sullivan said. “Someone who cares about you. Someone who will go to bat for you and be willing to help you.”
“I’ve had some buddies who have played for him and I played against his team in the USHL,” Waldron said. “I’ve heard nothing but good things.”
Since the end of the 2023-24 season, where Miami finished 1-21-2 in conference games, five of Miami’s players have entered the transfer portal so far: defensemen Axel Kumlin, Hampus Rydqvist, Dylan Moulton and Robby Drazner, and third-string goaltender Carter McPhail. One player has committed to Miami since Noreen was hired, forward Christophe Fillion. Fillion transfers in from Quinnipiac with one year of eligibility remaining. He scored 25 goals and 29 assists in his first four seasons of college hockey and won the 2023 national championship with Quinnipiac.
Noreen will have his work cut out for him replacing many of Miami’s top contributors from last season. But he says he is up to the task.
“I can tell you this: there will be an unwavering belief from me and everyone within this program that we will get this thing to where we want it to be,” he said. “It is going to get there.”
