Bio

Ferris State University men's ice hockey assistant coach Mark Kaufman starts his 17th year with the Bulldogs in the 2021-22 season after being named assistant coach at Ferris State in July 2006.

Kaufman, who was also an assistant at Ferris State from 1992-94 under current head coach Bob Daniels, is involved in all facets of the program with specific emphasis on coaching the defensemen, recruiting, and penalty kill.

Recently, in 2015-16, Kaufman helped lead FSU to the school's first postseason tournament championship ever as the Bulldogs claimed the WCHA Final Five Championship during a memorable postseason run. FSU advanced to the national tournament for the third time in five years while reaching the NCAA Final Eight.

In 2011-12, Kaufman helped lead the Bulldogs to the program’s second-ever league regular-season championship and a historic first-ever trip to the Frozen Four where FSU reached the national championship game.

In 2013-14, he helped lead the Bulldogs to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Regular-Season Championship in FSU's debut season along with an NCAA Elite Eight appearance. 

Kaufman has played a vital role in Ferris State boasting the nation's top NCAA Division I penalty-kill unit for two seasons (2009-10 and 2010-11).  The Bulldogs posted a national-best .884 percentage in the 2009-10 campaign and a school-record .886 efficiency rate for the 2010-11 season.   

Prior to his second stint at Ferris State, Kaufman had spent two seasons (2003-05) as head coach and general manager of the United States Hockey League's (USHL) Sioux Falls (Iowa) Stampede after serving as the director of hockey operations and head coach of the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Wings in 2000.

A native of Pittburgh, Pa., Kaufman spent 1998-02 with the Richmond (Va.) Renegades of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) as the organization's head coach/director of hockey operations. He was chosen as co-coach of the 1999-00 Northern Conference All-Star Team. In the 1998-99 season, Richmond was Kelley Cup Playoff finalists and playoff champions of the Northern Conference.

Following his two seasons (1992-94) at Ferris State, Kaufman served as an assistant coach for the International Hockey League's (IHL) Kansas City (Mo.) Blades in the 1994-95 campaign. He helped the Blades become a Turner Cup Playoff finalist and win an Eastern Conference Playoff title. The following season (1995-96), Kaufman moved up to the NHL ranks with the San Jose Sharks in an assistant coaching capacity. He then spent two seasons (1996-98) as an assistant with the Kentucky Thoroughblades of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Kaufman arrived at Ferris State in Bob Daniels' first season (1992-93) as head coach and the Bulldogs went on to register a 21-16-4 overall record and competed in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Championships. He then was promoted as the top assistant on Daniels' staff for the 1993-94 campaign.

Prior to Ferris, Kaufman was the general manager and head coach of the USHL's Rochester (Minn.) Mustangs where he compiled a 116-95-7 record and coached the 1989-90 team to its third Junior A national championship. He coordinated all of the scheduling, budgeting, recruiting, game staging, off-ice training, housing, fund raising and public relations at Rochester.

From 1986-88, Kaufman served as an assistant coach for U.S. International University, a former NCAA Division I independent located in San Diego, Calif. His responsibilities included monitoring the academic progress of the student-athletes, admissions, housing and the administration of financial aid.

Kaufman was head coach of the Reford (Mich.) Junior B team in 1984-85 and guided the Royals to both league and playoff championship titles. He was also an assistant coach for the USA Hockey Junior Olympic Festival in Lake Placid, N.Y. in 1992.

As a collegian, Kaufman earned a bachelor's degree in urban planning from Michigan State University in 1984. In 1987, Kaufman received his master's degree in physical education at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He was a graduate assistant coach for the RedHawks during the 1985-86 season.

A 1979 graduate of Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, Kaufman competed in ice hockey as a prepster.

The son of Eugene and Jean Kaufman of Pittsburgh, Pa., Mark is married to the former Catherine Peacock and the couple has a son (Brett). The family resides in Portage, Mich.

Kaufman holds membership in the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA).

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