Arizona hockey coach, 2 Wildcats to represent USA in World University Games

Three members of the Arizona Wildcats club hockey team are going abroad next month to represent Team USA at the Winter World University Games in Italy.

Forwards Justin Hughes and Riley Ruh and UA head coach Chad Berman, who will serve as an assistant coach for USA, will take part in the Winter World University Games in Turin, Italy, from Jan. 13-23, 2025.

“It’s so surreal,” said Berman, who’s now in his 10th year as Arizona’s head coach. “It’s such an honor. What a great opportunity to represent my country and the University of Arizona, especially because I’m going with two of our guys here at the University of Arizona, as well.”

Arizona recently won its seventh straight Cactus Cup after beating Arizona State’s club hockey team on Saturday at Tucson Arena

“I think we understand the responsibility of that rivalry,” Berman said. “The day I took this job, the first phone call was about how we’re going to beat ASU. When we took that job, we were riding a 34-game losing streak and that’s hard to imagine. Then it took another 18 (losses) before we got our first win. From there, we never looked back and won seven straight Cactus Cups. The players understand the responsibility. We know it’s a different game, a different beast.”

Ahead of Arizona’s battle with Minot State on Thursday at Tucson Arena, Berman joined ESPN Tucson’s “Spears and Ali” to talk about coaching Team USA and the growth of hockey in the Old Pueblo.

How did the opportunity to coach USA in the World University Games happen for you?

A: “So I was actually on the committee for the World Cup team that went to Romania last year and won the gold medal. I was involved in the selection process and picking the team. ... It just fell into place between me networking with that job and they felt like I did a good enough job to take on the responsibility. I took the phone call really early in the summer and I’ve been working on it ever since.”

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USA’s pool includes Japan, Poland, Ukraine and Slovakia. How does USA stack up against those teams?

A: “We’re pretty happy with our draw. We avoided Canada in our main pool and they’re the team to beat right now, so that’s big for us. But I’ll play anybody. Just to wear that USA sweater and having a shot to bring home a medal, it’s something you dream of. Playing against players — or even refs — who don’t speak the same language, but play the same game for the same cause, it’s going to be incredibly exciting. I’ve seen a little bit of film of the other teams and the competition is pretty steep. We’re excited to get to work.”

The Mosaic Quarter, a multi-sport complex being built near Kino Parkway and Interstate 10, will feature a 175,000-square-foot arena with three ice rinks and serve as the future home of UA hockey. The privately funded first phase will cost $425 million. How does this impact Arizona hockey as a program?

A: “The entire project itself is pretty massive. The rink in itself is worth $94 million. There are three sheets and we’re going to be the primary tenant on the major sheet, which will carry 3,000 seats. There’s going to be a restaurant and a patio that comes out to the ice. This will be a first-class facility, so for our program, we’re excited for what this can do for recruiting and allow us to take the next steps as a program. To have our own home, identity and branding, that’s going to be limitless.

“It gives us the ability to grow. We recently added a UA women’s team and (head coach) Caitlin Hogan has done an excellent job and they’re off and running as a program. We’re only going to add more hockey. But this is a community project. This is about the youth hockey in town, the adult leagues. There are so many families who were desperate to have hockey here. ... The growth, development and bonding this is going to create in our community is really the big-picture dream that I’m excited about for Tucson. Obviously we’re excited for our program, but this is so big for Tucson in general. That restaurant and arena in there, it’s going to be a community hub for people hanging out and it’s going to be a good thing.”

Between the UA hockey team and the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL, how much has hockey grown in Tucson in recent years?

A: “What a lot of people don’t realize is that we have people who are going on 30 years of being a season ticket holder. It’s a passionate hockey community. It’s growing and it’s expanding. We’re happy to play a role in that. ... It’s great to see the game I love growing, especially out west. It’s particularly cool to see us a part of that growth.”