MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan University hockey team is proud to announce the hiring of NMU alum Phil Fox as an assistant coach beginning in the 2024-25 season.
“We are excited that Phil, his wife Ricci, and two kids Levi and Bode are coming back home to Marquette,” says head coach Dave Shyiak. “Phil was on the last NMU hockey team that made it to the NCAA Tournament, and his passion for the program and community will be valuable for our current players and future recruits. He understands the type of players that fit our program which is important in attaining the success we are all aiming towards.”
A native of Stillwater, Minnesota, Fox has spent the past five seasons as the general manager and head coach of the New Mexico Ice Wolves of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States. The Ice Wolves joined the NAHL as an expansion team in the 2019-20 season, and Fox was named the team’s first head coach in program history.
In his five seasons with the Ice Wolves, Fox holds a 137-123-16-12 record, registered three straight 30+ win seasons, made the playoffs in two of those three seasons, and was named 2021-2022 NAHL Coach of the Year after leading the Ice Wolves to a franchise-record 38 wins during the regular season and a second-place finish in the South Division. Fox was also the head coach of the South Division team at the 2022 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament.
Before his coaching career, Fox played four years of professional hockey, first with the Central Hockey League’s (CHL) Texas Brahmas. During his rookie campaign in 2011, he scored 43 points (19g-24a) and posted a +11 rating in 59 games. The next year, he played in 44 games and notched 34 points (21g-13a). The Brahmas made the playoffs in 2012 and Fox notched three goals in nine postseason games. After spending a little time with the American Hockey League’s Houston Aeros, Fox returned to the CHL and played 39 games for the Allen Americans scoring 24 points (12g-12a). The Americans won the Ray Miron President’s Cup two years in a row marking just the third time in CHL history that a team had won back-to-back league titles.
Prior to playing professionally, Fox had a four-year career with the Wildcats from 2007-11, including donning the captain’s ‘C’ in 2011. Phil played 155 career games with the Green and Gold, scoring 40 goals and 25 assists for 65 points. In his four years at NMU, Fox helped the Wildcats to two consecutive CCHA Tournament third-place victories (3/22/08, 2-1 win vs Notre Dame, 3/21/09, 2-0 win vs Alaska) and an NCAA tournament appearance (3/26/10 vs St. Cloud State, loss 4-3 loss in 2OT) after bowing out to Michigan 2-1 in the CCHA Finals.
Courtesy of Northern Michigan Wildcats