Noreen Signs Contract Extension

Miami University Director of Athletics David Sayler announced today that Anthony Noreen has agreed to a contract extension to continue leading Miami Hockey through the 2031-32 season. Noreen oversaw a historic turnaround in his second season at the helm, as Miami jumped from three wins in his first year to an 18-16-2 mark in 2025-26.

"I'm extremely grateful to President Crawford, David Sayler, Brad Okel and the entire Miami University athletic department for this contract extension. Their support for our program and belief in what we are doing means the world to us," said Noreen.

"I also want to thank my incredible staff — Associate Coach Troy Thibodeau, General Manager David Nies, Assistant Coach Lionel Mauron, Director of Hockey Operations Jimmy Spratt, Director of Human Performance Gord Farnell, Equipment Manager Andy Geshan and Athletic Trainer Michael LeRoy. Their hard work, dedication and passion every single day have been the foundation of what we're building.

"We are appreciative of the support the university, our alumni base and our supporters have given us so far, and I truly believe we are building something special here at Miami. We are fortunate to be here and couldn't be more excited about the future of Miami Hockey."

The RedHawks are coming off a 2025-26 season in which they matched the largest single-season improvement in wins in program history (+15 in 1996-97) and the third-largest nationally over the past half-century (excluding forfeits and COVID), finishing with a winning record for the first time since last qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in 2015.

The Red and White won the program's first trophy in a decade, claiming the Belpot at the Friendship Four in Belfast, and returned to the national rankings for the first time since 2019. The RedHawks won their first six games of the season, posted a 9-1 mark in non-conference games, and enjoyed their longest NCHC winning streak ever (five games). Noreen was a top-three finalist for NCHC Coach of the Year as Miami matched its highest finish in the conference standings since 2015-16, finishing seventh with a 9-13-2 league record. The RedHawks earned four wins over nationally-ranked teams, including a sweep at No. 20 St. Cloud State in January and a home win over defending national champion No. 4 Western Michigan.

The Red and White also welcomed the first capacity sellout crowd to Steve "Coach" Cady Arena in more than 10 years and sold out four games in all, finishing with a winning record on home ice for the first time since 2015-16.

Matteo Drobac was named Third-Team All-NCHC and was a finalist for NCHC Goaltender of the Year, finishing the season ranked among Miami's top-10 single-season leaders in wins, saves, shutouts and minutes played in net. He became the RedHawks' first All-NCHC player since 2021.

David Deputy, an All-Rookie Team selection, was a finalist for NCHC Rookie of the Year and the National's Three Stars Award after becoming the first RedHawk with 15 goals in a season since 2017-18. He is the first Miami player to earn a spot on the All-Rookie Team since 2021.

Blake Mesenburg was a national finalist for Team IMPACT's Teammate of the Year award and became the first player in Miami history to win the NCHC Sportsmanship Award. Miami players won 16 weekly or monthly NCHC awards during the 2025-26 campaign, led by Deputy's five (one Rookie of the Month and four Rookie of the Week nods).

Six different RedHawks produced at least 20 points (the most since 2017-18), including top NHL prospect Ilia Morozov (who began the season as the youngest Division I player in the nation and is currently ranked No. 8 among North American skaters according to NHL Central Scouting).

The RedHawks continued to excel in the classroom as well, with several student-athletes earning Honor Roll and Distinguished Scholar-Athlete recognition from the National. Additionally, Brayden Morrison was named to the first NCHC Academic All-Conference team.

Miami will welcome its second consecutive top-15 recruiting class this summer (according to Neutral Zone's national rankings), adding to the program's promising outlook and trajectory.

"I am excited to extend Coach Noreen an additional two years via this new contract. The program enjoyed a big turnaround in his second season leading the team, which also included getting ranked and winning a mid-season tournament championship," Sayler said. "The future is bright for Miami Hockey with Coach Noreen and his talented coaching staff continuing our push to get back into the NCAA Tournament."

Noreen came to Miami in April 2024 after previously serving as the head coach of the Tri-City Storm in the United States Hockey League (USHL) for seven years and also holding that organization's President of Hockey Operations title from 2019-2024. During his time with Tri-City, Noreen produced a record of 237-128-24-19, making him the winningest coach in franchise history, and qualified for the playoffs in each of his seven seasons at the helm (excluding 2020 - COVID). Noreen led the Storm to two Anderson Cups and was named Coach of the Year in both of those seasons. He coached 34 NHL draft picks during his tenure with the Storm, and his Tri-City program produced more than 100 NCAA Division I hockey players in that time.

Noreen has also been involved with USA Hockey for nearly a decade, most recently as the U-18 head coach for the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He earned three medals with the U.S. Junior Select Team in the World Junior A Challenge, serving as head coach for the U.S. Junior Select Team in 2019 (bronze medal) and 2018 (gold medal) after helping the U.S. to silver in 2017 as an assistant.

Before joining Tri-City, Noreen was the head coach for the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL) from 2015-17 after four seasons as Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) head coach and general manager (2011-15). His 2014-15 Youngstown team set a USHL record with a 17-game win streak en route to claiming the Anderson Cup, as Noreen was named the league's Coach of the Year.

Noreen, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Interpersonal/Organizational Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, began his coaching career at his alma mater as an assistant from 2007-10. Noreen played four seasons for the Pointers from 2003-07, serving as a team captain in his junior and senior years. He was named to the NCHA All-Academic Team as a student-athlete in 2005-06 and 2006-07 and graduated from UWSP in 2007.

Miami Ohio University Athletics

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David Deputy

Matteo Drobac

Blake Mesenburg

Ilia Morozov

Brayden Morrison

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