LetsGoDU

From: DU Pioneers Official Website

Matt Laatsch Returns to DU as Volunteer Asst. Coach

(Left) As captain, Laatsch guided DU to the 2005 NCAA Championship

DENVER - Former University of Denver hockey captain Matt Laatsch (Lakeville, Minn.) has joined the team as a volunteer assistant coach, announced today by two-time National Coach of the Year George Gwozdecky. Laatsch guided the Pioneers to their second consecutive NCAA National Championship in 2005 and tallied 6-24--30 during a solid four-year career. He returns to the Pioneers after a brief stint with the American Hockey League's Utah Grizzlies before retiring from professional hockey after attending the Chicago Blackhawks camp in the fall of 2005.

"I am excited to be back as a volunteer assistant coach," Laatsch said. "I have always wanted to coach and I am very grateful to Coach Gwozdecky and the University of Denver for this opportunity."

Laatsch will assist in on-ice coaching, game analysis and video breakdown for the Pioneers. He played 110 games for DU and was part of the most successful classes in DU hockey history. His senior class of 2005 posted a 112-43-14 record in 169 games, captured back-to-back NCAA National Championships in 2004 and 2005, two WCHA Final Five and two WCHA regular-season championships, and four Wells Fargo Denver Cup championships.

"Matt did a terrific job leading our 2005 team to the national championship," Gwozdecky said. "He knows what it takes to be a successful student-athlete at the highest level and he will be a major asset for our hockey program this season."

Laatsch earned his bachelor's degree in business management from DU in 2004.