July 13, 2004
Colorado Springs, Colo. – Notre Dame assistant hockey coach Andy Slaggert has been selected by USA Hockey to serve as head coach of the United States Under-17 Select Team that will compete in the Five Nations Tournament (Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland along with the U.S. team) from August 24-28 in Halle a.d. Saale, Germany. Joining Slaggert as assistant coaches will be Providence College assistant David Berard and Tom Rudrud, assistant coach of the United States Hockey League’s Tri-City Storm.
Slaggert, a USA Hockey Level 4 – Certified Coach, will begin his 12th season as assistant hockey coach at Notre Dame this fall. A former Irish hockey player, Slaggert is no stranger to coaching U.S. Select teams on the international level. Last August, he served as an assistant coach with the U.S. Select Under-18 team that captured the title at the Four Nations Tournament in Piestany, Slovakia.
“Anytime you are selected by USA Hockey to coach one of their Select teams it’s a great honor and quite a humbling experience,” said Slaggert.
“We have a quality staff with David (Berard), Tom (Rudrud) and Mark Boxer which makes it that much more exciting. After evaluating the players at the Select 16 tournament in Rochester, N.Y., I think that our staff has put together a strong group of hard-working, competitive kids to represent the United States in the Five Nations Tournament. I’m really looking forward to working with them.”
A 1989 graduate of Notre Dame, Slaggert has been heavily involved with USA Hockey 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 that led to Notre Dame’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament last March.
The 36-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 (5) and Landon (2).