Hudak will leave the Big Green on April 3, the day before the pre-Championships training camp begins. He will return to Dartmouth later that month to continue off-season training with the women's team.
With Hudak as part of the three-person coaching staff, the American team will attempt to defend its 2008 and 2009 titles at the Championships, which will take place in Zurich and Winterthur, Switzerland in April. No tournament was held in 2010 due to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.
Hudak said he is enthusiastic about joining the team at the Championships.
"I'm very excited about it really looking forward to be on this coaching staff," he said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
Hudak said his previous experience with the U.S. Women's Select Team acting as assistant coach when the team competed in the Four Nations Cup in November 2010 has helped him become familiar with the national team program. Hudak helped lead the Women's Select Team to a second place finish at the Cup, when it was bested only by Canada.
Hudak said that, despite his experience, his exact role on the national team is still being determined.
"At the Four Nations Cup, I primarily worked with the defense, special teams and penalty kill," he said. "One of the most important jobs as an assistant coach is to support the head coach and make sure you work with each individual player."
Captain Katie Horner '11 said that while Dartmouth has previously sent players to compete in major national tournaments, the loss of Hudak as head coach will be especially noticed by players.
A graduate of the United States Military Academy, Hudak has a reputation for being strict and disciplined in his coaching style. Horner said hockey players respect Hudak's regimented leadership.
"Mark is a passionate and dedicated coach, who sets high expectations for his players to get the most out of them," Horner said.
Amanda Trunzo '11 who worked with Hudak at Dartmouth's Elite Hockey Training Camp last summer by serving as a head counselor at the camp while he coached the camp's over-22 team said she improved many skills during her time with Hudak and the women's hockey team.
"We see [Hudak] as a father figure that we look up to and respect, someone that we don't want to let down," Horner said.
Trunzo said she has been able to apply his lessons both on and off the ice from improving her schoolwork to her shooting skills noting that Hudak has stressed to her the importance of managing the smaller aspects of life before attempting larger goals.
"One of the main things I have learned from him is making the little things matter," she said. "And if you do these things right, it will all add up in the end."
Horner added that many team members view Hudak not only as a coach but as a friend. Trunzo echoed Horner, describing the hockey team's annual visits to Hudak's home for a home-cooked meal with him and his wife.
"It's a good team bonding experience and fun to see [Hudak] outside the rink," Truzno said. "We see him let loose a bit, which is always entertaining."
Although Dartmouth's season ends before the start of the Championships, Hudak will miss practice and recruiting trips while he is away. The team, however, will not let the absence affect its preparations for the next hockey season, Horner said.
