Jeremiah Baumann photo Michigan Tech’s Joe Shawhan addresses the media during his introductory press conference as Tech’s head hockey coach Tuesday at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena. Shawhan is the 22nd head coach in school history.

HOUGHTON — With the announcing Tuesday morning of the hiring of Joe Shawhan as the 22nd head coach in school history, the Michigan Tech Huskies stand poised to continue building on what former head coach Mel Pearson started. Shawhan plans to change little as he eases into the role.

“The changes that we make will be subtle,” said Shawhan. “Our big deal is just to make sure that guys just continue getting better every day.”

Since Shawhan replaced Damon Whitten as an assistant coach with the Huskies, they have gone 75-34-14, a record that includes a 10-game winning streak to open the 2015-16 campaign and two NCAA Tournament appearances in the past three seasons.

A winner at every level he has coached at, Shawhan brings a wealth of experience to the fore as he takes over the top job at a program on the rise in the Huskies. He feels that feels that he has been the part of something special thus far at Michigan Tech.

“I like being a being a part of something that is good, part of something that is wholesome,” said Shawhan. “I have been able to be a part of that. I am thrilled and can only hope that we as a team can continue on the groundwork that Mel set.”

Several members of the Huskies’ current roster were recruited by Shawhan. One player, freshman Gavin Gould, had Shawhan as his first contact with the program. Gould feels that Shawhan is a great communicator who really helped him make the transition from juniors to college by being patient with him.

“He was always there to talk,” said Gould. “He and I had video sessions throughout the year and he was [helping] me get better and have more of an impact. Every time it helped. That relationship is huge.”

One of Shawhan’s tasks as an assistant coach was the penalty kill, where he proved to be a coach who prefers to suggest small changes rather than changing entire strategies. Former Huskies forward Michael Neville praised the way he handled the penalty kill’s early problems last season.

“Eight games in, the penalty kill wasn’t doing very well,” said Neville. “I remember it was a Monday when he called me in and said, ‘Hey, this is what I am thinking about this weekend against Northern Michigan. What do you think?’ We were just bouncing ideas off of each other and that is kind of how it works and that is the line of communication you want.”

For the veteran Huskies’ skaters, the fact that Shawhan is very down-to-earth has helped them work through various issues over the past few seasons.

“I love Joe,” said senior Brent Baltus. “I love what he brings to the program. He’s a great mentor, not only with what he does for you on the ice, but also off the ice in how he handles himself and how he goes about his business. He’s very professional and he also has great relationships with people. I think he is just a great mentor for players.”

A former goaltender for the Lake Superior State Lakers, Shawhan has also been very beneficial to the Huskies’ goaltending, helping improve the games of Jamie Phillips and Angus Redmond, both of whom have signed NHL contracts over the past two seasons.

In a statement released by the university, Phillips was quoted as saying, “Joe is definitely a tremendous asset to Michigan Tech hockey. Tech has had nothing but success since he’s been there, and he cares passionately about the players, the program and especially the community.”

According to Tech Athletic Director Suzanne Sanregret, the coach that followed Pearson would have an opportunity to continue to move the program forward.

“The biggest thing is that we are on a roll and we have some upward trajectory,” said Sanregret. “We are in a much different place now than we were six years ago, meaning we have a lot of positive momentum going. Joe has been a big part of that.”

Shawhan feels that there is a very solid nucleus to work from as he begins his first campaign as head coach.

“There is still three great defensemen here, Mitch Reinke, Mark Auk and Dane Birks, three tremendous defensemen,” Shawhan said. “We have some good pieces to work with. I like a lot of what we have up front and somebody in net will have to step up and do the job. I am confident that they will.”

Shawhan, who has been a part of all three U.P. NCAA hockey programs, knows a lot about the U.P. and all it has to offer, which continues to be a selling point with new recruits.

As the head coach, Shawhan’s ability to communicate should continue to help those recruits reach their potential in much the same way that Phillips, Redmond and Gould already have. The Huskies’ schedule to start the 2017-18 season looks ambitious on paper, but that might be just what Shawhan needs to solidify himself in a new role. However, he expects that there will be growing pains along the way and looks forward to the challenge.

“A game’s a game,” said Shawhan. “We are going to make mistakes. You always do. Our job is to get better and mold a hockey team and evaluating what we have and keep working at getting better.”