Tom Newton Position: Assistant Coach Experience: 18th year

Longtime assistant coach Tom Newton enters his 18th year with the Michigan State hockey program. Newton has been a part of more than 400 victories in his time on the Spartan staff, and more than 600 in his 26-year collegiate coaching career.

Newton, who was appointed to his position on June 12, 1990, works with the Spartan forwards. In addition, he is directly involved with recruiting and all day-to-day operations of the Spartan hockey program and hockey school.

Newton arrived at Michigan State after serving as an associate head coach at Western Michigan from 1986-90. Prior to being elevated to the associate position at WMU, Newton served as an assistant for the Broncos from 1982-86. While at WMU, he was responsible for bringing Hobey Baker runners-up Dan Dorion (1986) and Wayne Gagne (1987) to the Bronco program.

The Uxbridge, Ontario, native earned his first college head coaching job at Kent State in 1981 and promptly led the Golden Flashes to a respectable 12-17-1 record as a Division I independent during the 1981-82 season. He began his coaching career as Bowling Green's graduate assistant coach in 1980-81 and also handled BGSU's club coaching duties.

A four-year letterwinner and two-year captain for the Falcons, Newton registered 140 points during his career (1975-80). He skated for three CCHA regular-season and two playoff championship teams for then-BGSU coach Ron Mason. Newton led the Brown and Orange to NCAA Tournament appearances in 1978 (third) and 1979 (fifth). He holds the BGSU records for scoring back-to-back goals in the shortest time span (nine seconds) as well as scoring three goals in the shortest time span (4:39).

Newton was an assistant coach for Team USA in the North American College Hockey Championship in 1999. In 1995, he served as an assistant coach for Team West at the Shrine East-West College All-Star Hockey Classic in Minneapolis.

The coach runs a highly-successful Pro Camp at Munn Ice Arena every August. The weeklong program not only prepares former Spartans for upcoming training camps in all levels of professional hockey, but also brings some of the program's most recognizable names back to their collegiate venue to renew their bonds with their former teammates and Michigan State roots.

Newton holds a bachelor of science degree in physical education and health from Bowling Green State University (1980) and earned his master of education degree from BGSU one year later.

He served on the Board of Governors of the American Hockey Coaches Association as college hockey's Assistant Coaches Representative from 1998-2001. In April 2004, he received the Terry Flanagan Memorial Award, which honors an assistant coach's career body of work.

Born June 16, 1956, Newton and his wife, Eve, have two children - Ted, a junior at MSU, and a daughter, Emma, who attends Okemos High School.