Stampede lose new coach to Michigan, hire Eric Rud
Rob Rassey’s tenure as head coach of the Stampede has ended before it began.
Rassey, who in June was named the new coach on the same day the Stampede announced they’d fired Marty Murray after just two seasons, is heading to the college ranks to be an assistant coach for the Michigan Wolverines.
The Stampede moved quickly to bring in their third coach since the end of the season, naming Eric Rud as the 10th head coach in the USHL franchise’s history.
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Rud, who coached Green Bay to the Clark Cup Finals in 2011, was most recently the associate head coach at Miami of Ohio. Prior to that he had assistant coaching stints at St. Cloud State and Colorado College, the latter of which is his alma mater. Rud was the 1992-93 USHL MVP, the year he led Des Moines to the Clark Cup title.
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Rassey’s departure coincides with the recent issues within the Wolverines program, where coach Mel Pearson was fired earlier this month after a series of allegations of various forms of misconduct in the program. He was replaced by Brandon Naurato, who then brought Rassey to Ann Arbor. The Wolverines reached the Frozen Four last year.
“When you hire top-end people, you know there is always a risk you may lose them and the timing is not always ideal,” Stampede general manager Tony Gasparini said in a statement. “This was a great opportunity Rob just couldn’t pass up and we wish him the best of luck. “With that said, we couldn’t be more ecstatic to welcome Eric Rud to the Stampede family. We are very fortunate to bring in someone with the wealth of hockey knowledge and experience that Eric has. We share the same vision for player development and goal of bringing a Clark Cup championship back to Sioux Falls.”
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Stampede lose new coach to Michigan, hire Eric Rud
