Billings Bulls name Richardson new head coach
March 26, 2015
The Billings Bulls, proud members of the NA3HL, are proud to announce the hiring of their new Head Coach Michael Richardson.
Michael Richardson returns to the Billings Bulls for his second stint with the organization, this time serving as the teams Head Coach. Richardson served as assistant coach for the Billings Bulls from 2010 – 2012. During this period, Richardson served as Head Coach of the programs 16AAA team. In 2011, Richardson was voted coach of the year in the NJPHL where his 16AAA team competed and in 2012 won the bronze medal with the Billings Bulls at the USA National Championships.
Richardson has coached coast to coast at a variety of different competitive levels. With each team, Richardson’s priorities have always been the same, develop his players to advance to higher levels, and winning. Most recently Richardson served as Head Coach and General Manager of the Lake Tahoe Blue of the Western States Hockey League. With the Blue, Richardson’s team was at the top of the league with Power Play percentage. Richardson continued to stay true to his beliefs and advanced his players to the NCAA, ACHA and Tier 2 junior hockey.
From 2012 – 2014 Richardson served as Head Coach of the NAPHL's Atlanta Fire 18AAA team and Assistant Hockey Director for the organization. With the Fire, Richardson’s teams advanced to the state championships two years in a row. Richardson played an important part of developing a relationship with the North American Hockey League’s Topeka Roadrunners. With this relationship Richardson served as an assistant coach with the Roadrunners on available travel weekends. What Richardson is most proud of, is the players who advanced from the Fire to junior and college hockey, which is over 25 players in two seasons.
Prior to Richardson’s first coaching stint in Billings, he spent the 2009-2010 season with multiple roles coaching in his hometown of San Jose, California. He served as the Assistant Coach with the San Jose Jr. Sharks 18AAA and 16AAA teams, and each team advanced to the Pacific District Finals. Along with his duties with both AAA hockey teams, Richardson also served as a development coach for the San Jose Jr. Sharks program. As the clubs development coach, Richardson worked with every player in the program on a weekly basis during the clubs skill session practices. . During this time period Richardson also served as an assistant coach with San Jose State University Spartans Hockey Club. The Spartans advanced to the National Championships in 2010, and again in 2011 with the freshman class Richardson assisted in recruiting.
In the 2008 – 2009 season, Richardson had the privilege of working with the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League. Richardson assisted the team’s video coaching staff with collecting and editing game film for the teams scouting sessions on upcoming opponents.
Richardson started his coaching career in 2003 and under his guidance he has promoted players of all ages onto higher levels of hockey, from youth to junior hockey, junior to college hockey, and college hockey to professional hockey.
Richardson and his wife Lindsay are both proud to be moving back to Billings Montana and calling Billings home year around.
