By Shane Frederick
MANKATO — Troy Jutting has called Mankato home for nearly 20 years.
For 10 years, he worked as an assistant men’s hockey coach at Minnesota State, and he’s been the head coach for the last nine.
On Wednesday, the university announced that Jutting will lead the Mavericks for four more years after signing him to a contract extension through the 2012-13 season.
“Obviously, I’m happy,” Jutting said. “Mankato is my home. I’m excited and get wait for the season to get started.”
According to athletic director Kevin Buisman, Jutting will make $153,246 annually.
Negotiations went smoothly, Buisman said, emphasizing that Jutting asked for no more than the standard pay increase allowed under the collective bargaining agreement between MnSCU and its union employees.
“Nothing extra,” Buisman said. “He wanted to be back, and we wanted him back. ... I think he put the program ahead of himself.”
Buisman said Jutting always considered the current economic conditions and the budget issues that face Minnesota State and its athletic department during contract talks.
“I’m a Mankato person, and, obviously, I want everything to go well for everybody there,” Jutting said. “I’m pleased with where I’m at. These are tough economic times right now, and I think people need to be fair and reasonable. The university was fair and reasonable with me; I hope they think I was fair and reasonable in return.”
As head coach, Jutting has compiled a nine-year record of 142-162-44. He twice won Western Collegiate Hockey Association Coach of the Year honors, most recently following the 2007-08 season, a year which set the wheels in motion for the new contract.
In that season, the first year of a two-year contract, the Mavericks went 19-16-4 overall and finished in a tie for fourth place in the WCHA (12-12-4).
Last season, the Mavericks slipped to eighth place in the league (11-13-4) and had an overall record of 15-17-6.
Buisman noted that Minnesota State does not have the same resources that other programs in the WCHA have, yet the Mavericks remain competitive against teams like Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota.
“Troy has continued to outperform the resources that we provide,” Buisman said. “He’s done an outstanding job. He’s been very consistent in meeting the expectations that we have.”
Jutting is the third WCHA coach to be given a contract extension this offseason, following St. Cloud State’s Bob Motzko, who inked a six-year deal through 2014-15, and Minnesota Duluth’s Scott Sandelin, who recently re-upped for two years through 2011-12. According to published reports, Motzko will earn a salary of $167,000, while Sandelin will earn a base salary of $150,000.
Jutting’s new salary will rank him seventh in pay among the WCHA’s 10 coaches.
