Joe Shawhan will be promoted from assistant coach to head coach of the Michigan Tech hockey team at a Tuesday morning news conference, the Free Press has learned. In addition, U-M will name former Tech assistant and former U-M player Billy Muckalt as an assistant coach.

Michigan Tech previously announced plans for a Tuesday morning news conference to announce its next head coach but has not said who it will be. A source familiar with the negotiations said Shawhan will replace Mel Pearson, who left to become U-M’s head coach when Red Berenson stepped down.

Shawhan refused to comment when contacted by the Free Press by phone Sunday night about his interest in the Tech job.

Shawhan, 54, recently completed his third season as a Tech assistant. He won more games in the history of the North American Hockey League when he served as the head coach and general manager of the Soo Indians from 1995 to 2005. He was 474-162-43 and more than 100 of his former players went on to play college hockey.

Shawhan then spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Lake Superior State, before going to Northern Michigan.

He was a volunteer assistant for the Wildcats in 2008-09, then spent the next season director of hockey operations. He spent four seasons as a Northern Michigan assistant, before joining Pearson’s staff in Houghton in 2014.

Shawhan was a goaltender for Lake Superior State from 1983-97 and left the program tied for first all-time in career goals-against average (3.83).

Muckalt, 42, spent the past two seasons as head coach of the Tri-City Storm and guided them to a U.S. Hockey League title in 2015-2016.

The Storm announced that Muckalt was leaving for “higher opportunities.” He’s expected to be announced later this week to Pearson’s staff.

Muckalt was an assistant coach on Pearson’s staff at Michigan Tech for four seasons before taking the Storm job. He was also a head coach for the New Mexico Mustangs in the NAHL in 2010-201 and head coach of the Valencia Flyers of the Western States Hockey League in 2009-2010.

Muckalt helped Michigan win NCAA titles in 1996 as a sophomore and 1998 as a senior. He was a Hobey Baker finalist and first-team All-America as a senior. He went on to score 40 goals and 57 assists for 97 points in 256 NHL games with the Canucks, Islanders, Senators and Wild.

Contact George Sipple: gsipple@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @georgesipple.