On Wednesday familiar face Laura Schuler was named the University of Minnesota Duluth’s (UMD) next women’s hockey head coach. Then on Thursday the longtime assistant officially took over the reins.

Click the video box above for the full press conference.

“Wow, I’m so excited to continue to be able to build upon that legacy of excellence. We are always going to continue to hone that hardworking blue-collar identity that UMD has always had from the very get go. We are going to be a team that is going to be well structured, disciplined, extremely hard to play against and a team that is free to make mistakes,” said Schuler.

Schuler is no stranger to Bulldogs’ hockey as she has served as assistant, then associate, coach for ten years under both Maura Crowell and Shannon Miller.

Schuler also owns an extensive resume coaching, and playing, for Hockey Canada. She was head coach of the Canadian National Women’s Hockey team from 2015-2018, leading them to a silver medal in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.

With all of that experience recruiting is a top skill, and focus, for Schuler.

“We are so lucky to be in the great state of hockey. We will continue to recruit the very best of the best from Minnesota. That is definitely at the forefront of my recruiting. But of course, we want to continue to recruit the best of the best, no matter where they’re from,” said Schuler.

RELATED STORY: UMD announces Laura Schuler as next women’s hockey head coach – WDIO.com

With their season opener coming in just about two months, Schuler said her first order of business will be hiring a coaching staff. They currently need an associate head coach and an assistant coach.

UMD drops the puck on their 2024-2025 season September 21 visiting the Ohio State University.