Former USHL coach Eric Rud hired to lead Alaska Anchorage

Alaska Anchorage turned to Eric Rud, a coach with two USHL head jobs and a world junior gold, to lead a program trying to climb back into the national picture. The University of Alaska Anchorage named Rud its eighth head hockey coach on April 27, 2026, linking the Seawolves to a bench boss whose path runs straight through junior hockey’s most influential development league.

UAA said Rud brings more than 25 years of collegiate, junior and international coaching experience, a résumé built on the same ingredients college programs now value in rebuilding jobs: recruiting reach, player development and enough organizational know-how to assemble a roster quickly. His first USHL head-coaching stop came in 2010-11 with the Green Bay Gamblers, where he also served as general manager. Green Bay finished 41-15-4 under Rud and reached the Clark Cup Final, a season that gave him a national profile in junior hockey circles.

Rud returned to the USHL in 2022 and spent two seasons as head coach of the Sioux Falls Stampede. The Stampede did not renew his contract for the 2024-25 season, but the run kept him active in one of the country’s most important junior pipelines. In between those league stops, Rud coached the 2022 U.S. Junior Select Team at the World Junior A Challenge, where Team USA won gold. That international assignment added another layer to a coaching résumé already shaped by pressure games, roster turnover and the need to develop players on a short timeline.

The Seawolves hired Rud after a national search following Matt Shasby’s resignation earlier in April 2026. Acting athletic director Tanya Pont publicly welcomed Rud and framed the hire as a chance to build the next era of Seawolf hockey. UAA also pointed to Rud’s experience across the NCAA, USHL and USA Hockey systems, a combination that fits a program looking for someone who understands how recruiting, culture-building and day-to-day development connect.

For Alaska Anchorage, the move is another reminder that the USHL feeds more than college rosters. It also produces the coaches who know how to manage elite junior talent, win in a compressed season and translate that model to NCAA hockey. Rud arrives in Anchorage with that track record already attached.