CANTON, NY -- St. Lawrence University men's hockey coach Joe Marsh did not have to look far, nor long for a replacement for associate head coach Chris Wells on the Saint men's coaching staff when Wells was named Saint head women's coach last week.

Had it been game time, it would have been a glance to the right as volunteer assistant coach Mike Hurlbut has officially joined the Saint staff as a full-time assistant coach after six years in the volunteer role.

"You couldn't ask for a better situation for us in terms of finding a replacement for Chris Wells," said Marsh. "Chris has a tremendous opportunity to run his own program with the women, and we can replace him with a former All America who played 14 years of professional hockey and was an all-star and captain on the professional level. Mike did a lot for us as a volunteer assistant, and now in his full-time role he can help in recruiting, which is something he couldn't do as a volunteer under NCAA rules. Any young player will have to be impressed with Mike's hockey resume."

Hurlbut, who is the owner and managing partner of Hurlbut Tent Rental, LLC, a family-owned business, graduated from St. Lawrence in 1989 and was a first-team All America and first-team All ECAC player as a senior. He was named to the ECAC Championship All Tournament Team and as the Peter McGeough Award winner as the Most Valuable Defenseman in 1989. A native of Massena, and a member of the Saint ECAC Championship teams in both 1988 and 1989, he was drafted by the New York Rangers in 1988 and played in 29 NHL games with the Rangers, Quebec Nordique and Buffalo Sabres in addition to 810 American Hockey League/International Hockey League regular season games and 115 AHL/IHL playoff games.

"We are pleased to welcome Mike Hurlbut to a full-time position on our hockey staff," said Saint athletic director Margie Strait. "Mike brings a presence, knowledge and level of experience to our coaching staff which creates a perfect combination for a smooth transition within our hockey programs."

Hurlbut has worked with the Saint defensemen in his term as a volunteer assistant and will continue in that role as well as taking on responsibilities in recruiting.

He was selected for and named captain for the 2001 American Hockey League All Star game as a player for the Rochester Americans and also played in the 1999 and 1994 All Star games. He was a second team AHL All Star in 1993 and 1994 and was Defenseman of the Year for the Binghamton Rangers in 1991-92 and the Rochester Americans in 1998-99. He captained the Rochester team from 1997-2002 and was captain of the Cornwall Aces from 1993-95. He scored a goal and had eight assists in 29 NHL games and had 141 goals and 399 assists in AHL/IHL regular season and playoff games.