The face of hockey in Michigan, Brandon Naurato, addressed burning issues affecting coaches during a TCS Live interview with Dr. Kathy Babiak.

During the second day of TCS Live 2023 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Naurato, the Head Coach of the University of Michigan’s men’s hockey team, sat down with Dr. Kathy Babiak, a professor of Sport Management and Director of the Michigan Center for Sport & Social Responsibility at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology, to talk about his experiences during his first season as coach of the Wolverines, and his unique style of leadership.

Throughout the 2022-23 season, Michigan’s men’s hockey team faced a mountain of adversity that included the passing of a longtime equipment manager and multiple players being hospitalized due to a virus outbreak. Naurato said vulnerability during difficult times was key to his team coming together; he didn’t have all the answers and he didn’t pretend to. That helped gain the trust of his players and establish the 38-year-old as a leader within the dressing room.

During this 30-minute presentation, Dr. Babiak outlines recent research suggesting how positive leadership and coaching can be more effective in motivating players. Naurato meets with players 1-on-1 and often sends surveys to the team to understand how they respond and prefer to be coached. Naurato is able to tailor his coaching style to each individual player in order to get the most out of them both on and off the ice. The Michigan product has learned that most players prefer honesty and transparency and that a coach needs to be firm and hold the team accountable. Although accountability and learning are key, Naurato will never single out a player in a group setting and still strives to be himself and have fun with his team.

That being said, Naurato has no room for idiots on his team. “Good dudes only” is the team motto, with “Would a good dude do that? If not, we don’t do it here,” being the standard for decision making.

Naurato dives into the background of his good dudes rule, how to establish trust and leadership with players, what to do when a team faces extreme adversity and why having fun is so important, during this exclusive TCS Live video.

Noteworthy timestamps:

• 01:15 Lessons learned during first year coaching Michigan
• 03:30 Difference in coaching now from his playing days
• 06:50 Mentoring players and they’re off-ice responsibilities
• 08:20 Motivation through positivity 
• 12:40 Examples of incorporating positive coaching
• 14:20 Keeping things fun and showing them the real you
• 16:10 Showing your vulnerability
• 17:30 Measuring success beyond wins and losses
• 20:20 Taking care of yourself as a coach
• 22:00 Supporting mental health of your players
• 25:30 Emerging issues for player development and performance