Mark Johnson earns CCM/AHCA Coach of the Year honors
March 20, 2025 | Women's Hockey
Wisconsin head coach named AHCA honor for fifth time in career
MINNEAPOLIS – Head coach of the Wisconsin women's hockey team Mark Johnson earned the CCM/AHCA Division I Women's Ice Hockey Coach of the Year Award for helping the Badgers to a memorable 2024-25 campaign, the AHCA announced Thursday.
This marks Johnson's fifth time earning the honor (2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2025). It's his second Coach of the Year recognition this season after being recognized as WCHA Coach of the Year earlier this campaign.
So far this year, Johnson has led the Badgers to their 10th WCHA Regular Season title, finishing with the most points (77) in school history. That also marked Jonhson's 10th regular-season championship, which is the most of any head coach in WCHA history. The Badgers would go on to add more conference hardware, defeating Minnesota for a back-to-back WCHA Final Faceoff Championship.
Johnson has led the Badgers this season to lead the nation in goals, assists, power-play and penalty-killing percentage, scoring offense, scoring defense and scoring margin. The Badgers also lead the nation with a .949 winning percentage on a 36-1-2 record. The WCHA Coach of the Year coached three Badgers — Casey O'Brien, Caroline Harvey and Laila Edwards — to be top-three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, guaranteeing that a Badger will win the honor. Johnson helped his players to various other honors, including four First-Team All-Americans — O'Brien, Harvey, Edwards and Kirsten Simms — and HCA Goaltender of the Year Ava McNaughton.
The winningest head coach in women's hockey history coached the Badgers to a one-seed in the NCAA tournament and, with a recent victory over Clarkson in the regional finals, Johnson helped the Badgers to their 16th Frozen Four Appearance, which is tied with the Golden Gophers for the most of any program. Wisconsin is making their 19th overall NCAA tournament appearance, the second-most in NCAA history.
Johnson and the Badgers take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers Friday at 7:30 in the semifinals of the 2025 NCAA Women's Hockey Frozen Four. Fans can watch the action on ESPN+.
This marks Johnson's fifth time earning the honor (2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2025). It's his second Coach of the Year recognition this season after being recognized as WCHA Coach of the Year earlier this campaign.
So far this year, Johnson has led the Badgers to their 10th WCHA Regular Season title, finishing with the most points (77) in school history. That also marked Jonhson's 10th regular-season championship, which is the most of any head coach in WCHA history. The Badgers would go on to add more conference hardware, defeating Minnesota for a back-to-back WCHA Final Faceoff Championship.
Johnson has led the Badgers this season to lead the nation in goals, assists, power-play and penalty-killing percentage, scoring offense, scoring defense and scoring margin. The Badgers also lead the nation with a .949 winning percentage on a 36-1-2 record. The WCHA Coach of the Year coached three Badgers — Casey O'Brien, Caroline Harvey and Laila Edwards — to be top-three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, guaranteeing that a Badger will win the honor. Johnson helped his players to various other honors, including four First-Team All-Americans — O'Brien, Harvey, Edwards and Kirsten Simms — and HCA Goaltender of the Year Ava McNaughton.
The winningest head coach in women's hockey history coached the Badgers to a one-seed in the NCAA tournament and, with a recent victory over Clarkson in the regional finals, Johnson helped the Badgers to their 16th Frozen Four Appearance, which is tied with the Golden Gophers for the most of any program. Wisconsin is making their 19th overall NCAA tournament appearance, the second-most in NCAA history.
Johnson and the Badgers take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers Friday at 7:30 in the semifinals of the 2025 NCAA Women's Hockey Frozen Four. Fans can watch the action on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Women's Hockey
Defense
/ Women's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Women's Hockey
Forward
/ Women's Hockey
Forward
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