Chu Enters Coaching Ranks, Harvard Staff Re-ups

In an eventful week for the Harvard women's hockey community, one former Crimson star traded in her skates for a clipboard and a coaching position with another program, and head coach Katey Stone filled the vacant spots on her own bench with two veteran assistants.

Julie Chu '07 joined the coaching staff on the women's team at Minnesota-Duluth last Tuesday, while former Bulldogs assistant Joakim Flygh and former Providence standout and Amherst assistant Melanie Ruzzi were brought in to round out the Harvard coaching outfit.

After ending her playing days with the Crimson and graduating in June, Chu's focus switched to the future, with no shortage of possibilities. At first glance, the most logical step for Chu would have been to sign up as a coach for Harvard. The departures of assistants Claudia Asano, who was hired as the head coach at Union, and Michelle McAteer left plenty of room on the Crimson staff, and with Chu's credentials as a bona fide leader and one of the best players in school history, Stone was more than ready to welcome the two-time Olympian and former co-captain aboard.

"There was a job offered to her," Stone said.

But while Chu has played her last game at the Bright Hockey Center for Harvard, her days as an athlete are far from over. She is still a member of Team USA and the need to stay in shape is as important as ever, especially with what could be Chu's final Olympics coming up in 2010 in Vancouver.

With limited post-collegiate playing opportunities available to women to begin with, plus the National Women's Hockey League's decision to suspend play in its eastern wing for this coming season, Chu would have had no outlet to play competitive hockey had she joined the Crimson coaching staff.

"I just had to focus on the next few years and what was the best situation to prepare myself to make it to the 2010 Olympics," Chu said.

That situation presented itself at UMD, where Chu will fill the vacancy left by Flygh. By coaching with the Bulldogs, Chu will also be able to play part-time for the Minnesota Whitecaps of the NWHL's still-functional Western Division.

"The priority is for her to continue to train and to play and there are more opportunities out in the Midwest than in the Boston area," Stone said.

Chu will work primarily with the forwards at UMD. She will also use her unique perspective as an active athlete barely removed from college to assist her players with the mental aspects of the game.

"One of the biggest things is that I've been through it," she said. "I've been a college athlete. I know what it's like to be a freshman and come in."

But while Chu will certainly be an asset to the UMD staff, her separation from Harvard is not necessarily a permanent one. After her playing days are through, a return to the Crimson in a coaching capacity is a distinct possibility.

"This is the beginning of her coaching career, not the end," Stone said. "There will come a point where she will end up back at Harvard."

For now, though, the Crimson turns to two new faces to help guide the team next season. Flygh is a veteran coach with experience at a top Division I program in UMD. He also served as an assistant at New England College—his alma mater—for three years. A top defenseman in his playing days, the Swedish native will look to help the Harvard defensive unit and penalty kill.

"As a head coach you should always have a list of at least five people that you're interested in if you have an opening," Stone said. "[Flygh] was at the top of the list for me."

Ruzzi is a newcomer to the Division I coaching ranks, but had success as an assistant at Division III Amherst, where she helped the team to its first NESCAC championship. She also was a star player at Providence, captaining the Friars during the 2002-03 season.

With a pair of experienced coaches now flanking her, Stone can concentrate on preparing her team for the upcoming season. Chu, without coaching experience but experienced nonetheless, will do the same.

—Staff writer Loren Amor can be reached at lamor@fas.harvard.edu.