Damon Whitten

Last updated
Damon Whitten
Current position
Title Head coach
Team Lake Superior State
Conference CCHA
Biographical details
Born (1977-04-05) April 5, 1977 (age 46)
Brighton, Michigan
Alma mater Michigan State University
Playing career
1995–1996 Detroit Freeze (NAHL)
1996–1997 St. Michael's Buzzers (OPJHL)
1997–2001 Michigan State
2001–2002 Greenville Grrrowl (ECHL)
2002–2003 Arkansas RiverBlades (ECHL)
2003–2004 Lansing Ice Nuts (IIHL)
Position(s) Left wing
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2004–2005Michigan State (asst.)
2005–2006 Wayne State (asst.)
2006–2008 Alaska Anchorage (asst.)
2008–2010Michigan State (Dir. of Hockey Ops.)
2010–2014 Michigan Tech (asst.)
2014–present Lake Superior State
Head coaching record
Overall143–196–31 (.428)
Tournaments0–1 (.000)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
2021 WCHA Tournament champion

Damon Whitten (born April 5, 1977) is an American ice hockey coach and former player. He is currently the men's hockey head coach of the Lake Superior State Lakers.

Contents

Playing career

Whitten played junior hockey for the Detroit Freeze of the North American Hockey League in 1995–96 before moving to the St. Michael's Buzzers in the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League the following season. Beginning in the 1997–98 season, Whitten played four years for the Michigan State Spartans, and was named alternate captain in his senior season. After college, he turned pro, playing two seasons in the ECHL: in 2001–02 for the Greenville Grrrowl (winning the league championship Kelly Cup) and 2002–03 for the Arkansas RiverBlades. [1]

Coaching career

Whitten returned to Michigan State in 2004–05 to serve as an assistant coach under head coach Rick Comley. He then spent one season as an assistant at Wayne State before moving to Alaska Anchorage for two seasons. In 2006, he returned to his alma mater where he was named Director of Hockey Operations. Whitten returned to the bench in 2010, when he was an assistant coach at Michigan Tech. On April 26, 2014, Whitten was named head coach at Lake Superior State. [2]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Lake Superior State Lakers (WCHA)(2014–2021)
2014–15 Lake Superior State 8–28–27–20–1t-8th WCHA first round
2015–16 Lake Superior State 14–22–510–13–57th WCHA first round
2016–17 Lake Superior State 11–18–78–13–77th WCHA quarterfinals
2017–18 Lake Superior State 10–22–48–17–39th
2018–19 Lake Superior State 23–13–216–10–2–04th WCHA semifinals
2019–20 Lake Superior State 14–23–411–13–4–47th WCHA quarterfinals
2020–21 Lake Superior State 19–7–39–5–0T–2nd NCAA regional semifinals
Lake Superior State:99–133–2769–91–22
Lake Superior State Lakers(CCHA)(2021–present)
2021–22 Lake Superior State 18–18–113–13–04th CCHA quarterfinals
2022–23 Lake Superior State 9–25–28–17–18th CCHA quarterfinals
2023–24 Lake Superior State 17–20–111–12–17th CCHA Semifinals
Lake Superior State:44–63–432–42–2
Total:143–196–31

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Weight</span> American ice hockey player (born 1971)

Douglas Daniel Weight is an American professional ice hockey coach, executive and former player. He is also the former head coach and assistant general manager for the New York Islanders. During his 19-year National Hockey League career, he played for the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis Blues and the New York Islanders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Bylsma</span> American ice hockey player and coach

Daniel Brian Bylsma is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is the head coach of the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was previously head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres in the National Hockey League (NHL), and was also an assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings. He also was the former head coach of the United States men's national ice hockey team. Prior to coaching the Sabres, Bylsma was the head coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins, whom he led to a Stanley Cup championship in 2009, just four months after being promoted to Pittsburgh's head coaching position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Mason</span> Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Ronald Herbert Mason was a Canadian ice hockey player, head coach, and university executive. A head coach of various American universities, most notably Michigan State University (MSU), he was the most successful coach in NCAA ice hockey history between 1993 and 2012 with 924 wins, until Jerry York became the new winningest coach with his 925th career win on December 29, 2012. Mason was athletic director at MSU from 2002 to 2008. He then served as senior advisor for the USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks. On December 2, 2013, Mason was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

Rick Comley is a former collegiate ice hockey player and former head coach at Michigan State University. He finished his 38-year coaching career with a 783–615–110 (.556) record. In 2007, he became the third coach in NCAA history to win a national championship at two different schools. Comley is currently serving in his second stint as the athletic director at Northern Michigan University, hired in 2022.

Mark Allen Reeds was a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and a former player who had played in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1981 and 1989. He was born in Toronto, Ontario, but grew up in Burlington, Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Muzzatti</span> Canadian-Italian ice hockey player

Jason Mark Muzzatti is a Canadian-Italian former professional ice hockey goaltender, and the current goaltending coach for the Carolina Hurricanes. He played 62 games in the National Hockey League between 1993 and 1998 for four teams. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1991 to 2007, was spent in various minor leagues and in Europe. Internationally Muzzatti played briefly for the Canadian national team in the early 1990s, and later in his career played for the Italian national team at several World Championships and the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Jeffery L. Jackson is an American ice hockey coach and currently is head coach at the University of Notre Dame. Previously, he was the head coach at Lake Superior State University, where he won two NCAA championships in ice hockey. He has also been an assistant coach with the New York Islanders and head coach for the Guelph Storm.

Steve Spott is a Canadian ice hockey coach who is an assistant coach for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Rolston</span> American ice hockey coach (born 1966)

Ronald Rolston is an American ice hockey coach who is currently Associate Head Coach at Providence College. He was previously the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Superior State Lakers men's ice hockey</span> Mens ice hockey team

The Lake Superior State Lakers men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Lake Superior State University. The Lakers are a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). They play at the Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

Thomas A. Anastos is an American ice hockey coach, former player, and former league administrator. He was most recently the head coach of the Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team (MSU), a member of the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). He played junior hockey for the Paddock Pool Saints, college hockey for the Michigan State University Spartans and professional hockey for the Sherbrooke Canadiens. He was an ice hockey league administrator most recently serving as commissioner of the original Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), a now defunct NCAA Division I conference, from 1998-2012. Anastos is a member of the Dearborn (Michigan) Sports Hall of Fame, inducted in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Blashill</span> American ice hockey coach

Jeff Blashill is an American professional ice hockey coach who is currently serving as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was formerly the head coach for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mel Pearson</span> Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Melvin K. Pearson is a former college ice hockey player and the former head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team. Pearson played for Michigan Tech from 1977 to 1981, then served as an assistant coach for the team from 1982 to 1988. Following the 1987–88 season, he spent 23 years as an assistant coach and associate head coach at Michigan under Red Berenson before returning to Michigan Tech as head coach in 2011.

Newell Brown is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who is an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the 8th round of the 1982 NHL Entry Draft.

Mike Gibbons is an American ice hockey coach. After 40+ years in coaching, Mike Gibbons retired after the 2020 season with the St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey team. Following the COVID-shortened 20–21 season, Gibbons returned to his alma mater as an assistant for the first time in 38 years.

Joseph R. Shawhan is an American ice hockey head coach who is currently leading the program at Michigan Tech.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Iowa Bulls</span> Ice hockey team in Mason City, Iowa

The North Iowa Bulls are a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). They play their home games at the Mason City Multipurpose Arena in Mason City, Iowa. The organization also operates a Tier III junior team in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) that was known as the North Iowa Bulls from 2011 to 2021 before relocating the Tier II Amarillo Bulls' franchise to Mason City and rebranding the Tier III team as the Mason City Toros. The Bulls are coached by Todd Sanden, who has been with the North Iowa team since its inception in 2011.

The 2020–21 Lake Superior State Lakers men's ice hockey season was the 55th season of play for the program, the 48th at the Division I level and the 8th in the WCHA conference. The Lakers represented Lake Superior State University and were coached by Damon Whitten, in his 7th season.

Michael Smith is a Canadian retired ice hockey defenseman who was an All-American for Lake Superior State.

Adam Nightingale is an American former ice hockey player and the head coach of the Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team.

References

  1. "Damon Whitten". Elite Prospects. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  2. Wellens, Matt. "New Lake Superior State coach Whitten savors connections to program's storied leaders". USCHO.com. Retrieved January 17, 2015.