Dave Shyiak named new men's hockey Associate Head Coach at St. Cloud State
5/23/2020 10:01:00 AM | Men's Hockey
St. Cloud State University Director of Athletics Heather Weems has announced the appointment of Dave Shyiak as an associate head coach for the men's hockey team at the University.
He will replace Mike Gibbons, who recently retired after serving 13 seasons as an assistant coach with the Huskies.
Shyiak joins SCSU head coach Brett Larson's staff after serving as an associate head coach at NCHC rival Western Michigan University since 2014.
"Dave (Shyiak) brings a wealth of hockey experience to our program," Larson said. "His resume is impressive and it includes work as a player, coach and scout at all levels of the game. Our team will definitely benefit from his background in the sport, his ability to assess talent and teach the game.
"I have known Dave (Shyiak) for a long time as a rival coach, and I really look forward to having him on our side of the bench as part of our staff in 2020-21."
A member of the Western Michigan coaching staff since 2014, Shyiak helped the Broncos gain a bid to the NCAA playoffs in 2017 along with earning home ice in the NCHC playoffs in 2017, 2019 and 2020.
Prior to his tenure at WMU, Shyiak worked as an amateur hockey scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs organization from 2013 to 2014.
Shyiak served as the head coach at the University of Alaska Anchorage from 2005 to 2013. He ranks as the Seawolves all-time win leader as a coach during the WCHA era with 80 wins and UAA advanced to the WCHA Final Five under Shyiak's leadership.
He began his college coaching career at Northern Michigan as an assistant coach from 1995 to 2002. Shyiak then served as an associate head coach at NMU from 2002 to 2005. He also served as a student-assistant coach at NMU in 1992-93. At NMU, Shyiak helped his team earn trips to the CCHA and WCHA final four playoffs along with NCAA bids in 1999 and 1993.
In 1994-95, Shyiak was the general manager and head coach for the Merritt Centennials of the BCJHL and his junior hockey resume includes one season as the head coach of the Kimberley Dynamiters of the RMJHL in 1993-94. Shyiak was a player/coach for one season with the Murrayfield Racers of the Super League-British Ice Hockey in 1991-92.
He is a graduate of Northern Michigan University, where he helped the Wildcats win an NCAA Division I championship as a hockey team captain in 1991. Shyiak was a part of NMU's team that won the WCHA playoff championship in 1989, and he later received his Master's degree from Northern Michigan University in Training and Development in Human Performance.
An evaluator for the USA Hockey selection camps in Michigan from 2015 to 2020, Shyiak served as a coach at the USA Hockey national selection camp in Buffalo, N.Y. in 2020. He has also served as a guest coach for the Washington Capitals Development Camp in 2010 and the Swedish National U20 Team Camp in 2009.
St. Cloud State University will begin its third season of play under the leadership of Larson in 2020-21. The Huskies are scheduled to open the new season on Oct. 4 with a home exhibition games against Guelph University at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
Season tickets for the 2020-21 season are now on sale and fans can purchase them by visiting www.scsutickets.comor by call the SCSU Athletic Ticket Office at www.scsutickets.com
