Schuler’s love for UMD keeps her loyal to the Bulldogs – Duluth News Tribune

July 11, 2024

DULUTH – It took the University of Minnesota Duluth 40 days to officially announce longtime assistant Laura Schuler as the permanent successor to head coach Maura Crowell.

The university had committed to a thorough search process to replace Crowell, while Schuler – who had been considered a candidate for the job from the start – was determined to keep the five-time NCAA championship program in the hunt for a sixth title, even if there was no guarantee she would be the one to lead the program into the future.

Why would she do that?

“How much I love this place, how much I love the student athletes,” Schuler said in response to the question. “Whether I was selected or not, I always wanted to make sure I did the right thing on behalf of the program, the university, the community and our student athletes.”

Schuler was officially promoted from interim coach to head coach on Wednesday. On Thursday, she took time off from recruiting, planning upcoming summer camps, hiring a coaching staff and preparing for the 2024-25 season to hold an introductory press conference at Amsoil Arena.

The longtime Bulldogs assistant coach, who worked under Shannon Miller for seven seasons from 2008-15 and Maura Crowell for the previous three seasons, said she has been on the phone with recruits for “12 hours straight” since the recruiting window opened for rising high school juniors on June 15.

Before that, she said, she had been in touch with current and new Bulldogs to let them know what a special place UMD was and that no matter what happened, the Bulldogs would continue to do great things despite the transition to a new head coach.

“I wanted them to know that I am there for them and that I care about each of them,” Schuler said.

Bulldogs captain Clara Van Wieren said it was inspiring to watch Schuler “work her ass off” in June and July. Van Wieren and fellow captains Hanna Baskin and Nina Jobst-Smith said they are as excited as ever about the future of the program after the last two months of watching Schuler work.

“She’s done a phenomenal job and I commend her for essentially taking on all the responsibility that comes with three coaching positions over the last two months,” said Jobst-Smith, who was on the selection committee along with Van Wieren and Baskin. “She’s worked day in and day out, whether it’s recruiting, scheduling, reaching out to everyone that needs to be contacted for our comeback dates in August and all of that. She’s approached that with so much positivity. Just seeing her do that with such ease and willingness really helps us get excited about things.”

Schuler takes over a Bulldogs program that has made four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including back-to-back NCAA Frozen Four appearances in 2021 and 2022. When Schuler returned to Duluth after a six-year absence, UMD was just one win away from its sixth NCAA title in the 2021-22 season.

It was Crowell – who was hired for the job in 2015 instead of Schuler – who lured Schuler back to Duluth three years ago. Schuler said she contacted Crowell to get information about another head coaching position she was in the running for. Schuler said she was also a candidate for the men’s assistant coaching job.

At that time, Schuler said, Crowell expressed a desire to return to Duluth.

“I talked to Maura about some of these positions and she said, ‘You know, if these don’t work out, would you ever consider coming back here?'” Schuler said Thursday. “I said, ‘Absolutely. Absolutely.’ Unfortunately, the others didn’t work out and I came back here and have no regrets.”

People on the podium during the press conference — Laura Schuler speaks during a press conference introducing her as head coach of the Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey program on Thursday at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.

Schuler said both Crowell and Miller have been outstanding leaders to work for at UMD in the past.

Miller was an innovator who could think outside the box like no other, Schuler said. She praised Miller for being the first to recruit internationally, which Schuler said she will continue to do, as well as seeking the best of the best in Minnesota.

“We want to continue to recruit the best of the best, no matter where they come from,” Schuler said.

No one creates a team culture as strong as Crowell, Schuler said. Crowell is an incredible person who treats her student-athletes like she treats her staff. Working with Crowell has changed her mindset about building a team and running a program, Schuler said.

“I’ve learned so much from her and everything I do now,” Schuler said. “My main thing is always to make sure relationships come first. I just can’t say enough about that person. Maura spent so much time with me. That’s what’s really important when you’re trying to build relationships. You have to be able to spend time with people and that’s what she does better than anyone else. For me, that’s something I always want to continue.”

Schuler and her senior team captains – Baskin, Jobst-Smith and Van Wieren – all thanked the UMD culture for accomplishing something unheard of in modern college sports.

When Crowell announced on May 31 that she was leaving UMD for Dartmouth, a 30-day transfer window was reopened for members of the UMD women’s hockey program. Newcomers could also request to be released from the National Letter of Intent.

In June, no one entered the NCAA transfer portal. None of the recruits resumed their recruitment.

“Our culture isn’t just one person,” Van Wieren said. “Obviously, coach (Crowell) has a huge, huge part in solidifying that culture, but it’s about each and every one of us. Losing one part doesn’t change anything.”

UMD opens the 2024–25 season 72 days after Schuler’s introductory press conference, exactly where the 2023–24 season ended, at the OSU rink in Columbus, Ohio, against the team that knocked UMD out of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Bulldogs will have a knowledgeable, very determined and passionate head coach on the bench, Baskin said.

“She loves the game, she knows the game,” Baskin said. “She loves UMD. She loves this team. I can see her literally running through a brick wall for this team. She’s just so great. She’s very energetic and positive, which are great qualities to have when you’re the leader of a program like ours.”