July 22, 2003
Colorado Springs, Colo. – Notre Dame assistant hockey coach Andy Slaggert has been selected by USA Hockey to serve as an assistant coach with the United States Under-18 Select Team that will compete in the 2003 Under-18 World Cup from August 11-16. The tournament will be played in Piestany, Slovakia and Breclav, Czech Republic and will feature Under-18 teams from Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland.
Slaggert, who begins his 11th season as an assistant hockey coach at Notre Dame with the 2003-04 season, will serve as an assistant to head coach Troy Jutting, currently in his fourth season as the head coach at the University of Minnesota-Mankato. Paul Caufield also joins the staff as an assistant coach. He is in his third season at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point as an assistant.
A 1989 graduate of Notre Dame, Slaggert is making his coaching debut with one of the USA National teams. However, he is no stranger to USA Hockey as he has served as both an assistant and a head coach with teams from Michigan in the U.S. Select festivals held each summer. In 2002, he served as head coach at the U.S. Select 15 Festival in St. Cloud, Minn. In 2000, he coached the Michigan Select 15 Junior Olympic Festival team. In 1998, he was head coach of the Michigan Select 16 team that captured the bronze medal in Ann Arbor, Mich. In 1997, he served as an assistant coach for Team Michigan at the U.S. Select 15 Festival.
With the Irish, the Saginaw, Mich., native began his coaching career in 1993 as an assistant to Ric Schafer and has been with the Irish ever since. His duties include working with the team’s forwards on a group and individual basis while coordinating the team’s highly successful recruiting efforts.
The 35-year old coach received his Bachelor of Arts degree at Notre Dame in 1989 and then received his Masters degree in physical education from Ohio University in 1991.
Slaggert and his wife, Tara, reside in South Bend with their two sons, Graham (4) and Landon (1).