When talking about her decision to become head coach of the Michigan women’s hockey team, Jenna Trubiano put it plainly:
“It was one of the best decisions I’ve made.”
And her appointment was equally beneficial for the program. In her tenure, the Wolverines have made significant strides — especially since her own time donning a Michigan sweater.
No one knows the program better than Trubiano. As a 2017 Michigan graduate and women’s hockey alum, she’s been part of the team in more ways than one. Battling adversity in her collegiate career to the tune of a hip surgery and a broken leg, Trubiano learned the importance of hard work and dedication early on. After she returned under a new role — becoming head coach in 2021 — she was well-equipped to lead the team through a new era.
And in this new era, Trubiano recognizes the need for a competitive women’s hockey team on campus. Given that it’s not a varsity sport, she puts in the work to make sure it’s not perceived as any less than that.
Over the past three seasons, the Wolverines have continued to ascend to new heights. While most programs can divide responsibilities such as recruitment, social media and coaching among numerous members of their staff, Trubiano oversees almost every aspect of her team. And as a result of her hard work, it’s become a competitive and desirable program for female hockey players.
“The past two seasons, specifically this season, we have the most competitive roster we’ve ever had,” Trubiano told The Michigan Daily. “ … Ultimately, the mission of our program is to compete for and win a national championship. So we need competitive players.”
Recruitment for Michigan women’s hockey is its own beast, as it doesn’t follow the typical NCAA route as a club sport. Each player Trubiano wants to recruit has to get into the University on their academic prowess first — a stark contrast to Division I varsity programs and many of the teams the Wolverines compete against. When your roster relies solely on admissions decisions, and Michigan is already a difficult school to get into, the final lineup isn’t really in your control.
And by April when regular decisions roll out, most prospective collegiate hockey players have already made up their minds.
But over the past few seasons, the women’s hockey team has seen tremendous growth in its recruiting network. And Trubiano is leading the charge. She is more than willing to go the extra mile to foster relationships with players interested in the program — even if that effort comes with a price.
“This past season, I really tried to go to those high-level, tier-one showcases where we’ve never had a presence before,” Trubiano said. “We don’t have much of a recruiting budget, so when I do travel it’s out of my own pocket, but it’s something that, for us to grow, we need a presence at.”
In spite of this barrier, both for Trubiano and recruits, it’s clear Michigan has a hockey culture that players aspire to be a part of. So much so that players will transfer from their Division I teams to don the maize and blue.
Take junior forward Kelsey Swanson for example. Swanson transferred and became a Wolverine after playing a year of Division I hockey at Long Island University. Since then, she’s tallied 17 points in her club career. And junior forward Lucy Hanson, a transfer from Division I hockey at Franklin Pierce, has 25 points for Michigan this season alone.
Most of the Wolverines on Trubiano’s roster were given Division I and Division III offers to play collegiate hockey. And yet, they still chose Trubiano and Michigan.
“When people hear the word club, it puts a bad taste in their mouth,” Trubiano said. “ … When I talk about our program, I call it a program, not a club. Technically we are a club sport at the University of Michigan, but we are a program on and off the ice. And having players that have played at the highest level of collegiate women’s hockey, that chose to (transfer) to Michigan … it says a lot.”
Despite its club sport status — and no social media manager on the job — Trubiano, alongside players and staff, has worked to grow the platform as much as possible. The Michigan women’s hockey team’s social media has amassed 11,000 followers on Instagram, where followers can expect a feed full of fun graphics and energetic game-day videos. Trubiano and company brand the program on the same level as varsity programs on campus.
And despite all the hats that Trubiano wears for her team, it isn’t even her full-time job. Outside of her intense work for the program, she works as a full-time sales associate for public health companies.
Having a part-time coach is an unusual sight for a top-10 team making it to the national tournament. Among the 10 teams playing in the tournament this season, only two compete without the luxury of a full-time head coach — Michigan is one of those two schools.
Even while juggling two vastly different jobs, Trubiano still finds the time in her busy schedule to work on the program.
And her hard work hasn’t come without results. This year, Michigan earned a coveted spot in the ACHA National Tournament, the second year in a row that the Wolverines have achieved that feat. Despite exiting the tournament earlier than desired, this season revealed that the upward trajectory of the team remains steady.
This success is not only a representation of the growth of the program under Trubiano’s young tutelage, but also a reflection of the dedication of players and staff alike.
“We take (hockey) really seriously,” Trubiano said. “We are the only women’s hockey program at the University of Michigan, and we hold ourselves to a really high standard. It’s just really exciting to see the growth that we’ve had, and I’m super fortunate to be a part of it.”
Not only is Trubiano part of it, but she’s the one leading it. Without her at the helm, this tangible growth wouldn’t exist. So whether or not Michigan women’s hockey receives varsity status in the near future, the program will be successful if Trubiano is leading the way.