JEFF BLASHILL
Western Michigan
Head Coach | Ferris State ’98 | Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

Background: Although he spent the last two years as bench boss of the USHL’s Indiana Ice, Blashill is CCHA through and through. After graduating from Ferris State at the end of the 1997-98 season, Blashill rejoined the Bulldogs in 1999 as an assistant coach where he spent the next three seasons helping to mold the squad that eventually went on to win the 2002-03 CCHA championship. But by the time that victory came around, Blashill was already onto the next task – an assistant coach on Enrico Blasi’s staff at Miami, where he played an integral role in building the RedHawks into the national power we now know them as. Knowing that he wanted to move into a head coaching position, Blashill spent the past two seasons as head coach and general manager of Indiana, going 72-43-5 in those two seasons and winning the Clark Cup in his first year in charge.

State of the Program: Given his pedigree in building elite CCHA programs and his time assisting at elite junior tournaments, including the 2009 World Junior Championships, Blashill knows talent, there’s not doubt about it. Naturally then, when he arrived at Western Michigan for an interview, he was asked a simple question: could he win with the guys currently on the squad? After going 18-18-1 in 2006-07, the Broncos have won just 8, 14, and 8 games respectively over the past three seasons, making the question a valid one. While optimistic he can get the most out of his players as he has in the past, Blashill made it clear that the program’s success will depend on the character of the players in that locker room and how they collectively respond to adversity. If they can do that well, there’s no telling how quickly this team could turn around, but if not, it will take Blashill more time to build a roster that can compete for strong playoff seedings, NCAA Tournament berths and conference titles.

Coaching Philosophy: The main tenets of Blashill’s coaching philosophy are that players must have strong character and ability to respond to adversity, and that they are accountable for mistakes that they make. Blashill expects that if he and his staff point out a mistake, the player does everything to correct the mishap or prevent it from happening again, and that they’ll be held accountable if they don’t follow through. This attention to detail, as well as a belief that you have to be great at both ends of the ice stems from Blashill’s experience at Miami, where a culture of accountability and character have helped build a perennial powerhouse.  Blashill recognizes that the culture won’t change overnight, saying, “It’s a gradual process, it’s not something you teach in a few days – it’s about action.”