Philadelphia Flyers
REPORT: Flyers Interview NCAA Coach
Late Wednesday night, the first report of any Flyers interview for their head coaching vacancy surfaced.
Kevin Weekes of ESPN reported that Western Michigan head coach Pat Ferschweiler interviewed for the Flyers’ head coaching job.
After the NCAA regular season, it did not seem like Ferschweiler would get involved in the NCAA coaching carousel this go around. However, a National Championship win and a vacancy with a sturdy connection may have changed all of that.
Ferschweiler was teammates and linemates with current Flyers President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones at Western Michigan. The two have a connection that, at a very minimum, helped Ferschweiler get the reported interview. From there, it becomes what he does, or did with it.
No other details about the interview have surfaced.
Read More: Flyers Coaching Tracker: Where Are Things At Right Now?
What Kind of Coach Did the Flyers Interview
Western Michigan does not typically recruit the top-end, NHL talent that some of these other NCAA powerhouses do (BU, BC, Denver, etc.). I would not go and say that Ferschweiler has turned Western Michigan into a powerhouse, but he consistently finds ways to win with his teams.
If anything, it is a testament to Ferschweiler’s abilities as a coach. He gets the best out of his players, even if the roster is not as talented as the opponent’s.
His preferred playing style is not too far off from what the current Flyers are used to. Ferschweiler likes a fast-paced style of hockey. A sense of aggressiveness on both ends is something that he likes, a “defense turns to offense” mentality.
He liked to score goals, and Western Michigan has scored a lot.
Ferschweiler’s Accolades
Ferschweiler also has a handful of accolades. He is a two-time NCHC Coach of the Year (2023, 2025) and was the 2025 Spencer Penrose Award winner, the award given to the top coach in the NCAA.
2025 was an excellent year for Ferschweiler and the Broncos, bringing a National Championship back to Kalamazoo.
The Broncos have made the NCAA Tournament in all four years of Ferschweiler’s tenure. 2025 was the program’s first trip to the Frozen Four.
Overall, Ferschweiler has a career record of 104-50-26 (.650) while head coaching the Broncos, and is 59-35-4 (.622) in conference play.
While it’s slim, Ferschweiler also has NHL coaching experience. He spent one season as an assistant coach for the Grand Rapids Griffins (2014-15) before spending the next four (2015-19) as an assistant for the Detroit Red Wings. It was in 2019 when he returned to Western Michigan as an associate head coach.
While it was just an interview for Ferschweiler, it looks like the Flyers are starting to move forward in the search for the team’s next head coach.
Read More: Flyers Mailbag: Draft, Change, & the Perfect Offseason
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I hope Ferschweiler get’s the job. I like Tocchett but he’s not the guy for this coaching position.
If he gets the job…more than likely Bump will have a slight edge up on making the roster come October. Though the Phantoms should be where Bump should start to gain more professional experience.
Sullivan and Torts together again in the Big Apple.
I heard Torts won’t be joining him.
The previous college coach experiment didn’t quite seep in.
Just cause somebody coaches a bunch of entitled kids in a sport that has a handful of good programs with a brand of hockey that makes golf seem physical in comparison has nothing to do with the NHL.
Also isn’t it funny how many ex Flyers are coaching in the playoffs.