Arizona State in Talks with Dave Hakstol for Interim Hockey Coach Role
The move comes as the university investigates an outdoor workout that led to a player being placed on life support.
Arizona State is in discussions with Dave Hakstol, an assistant coach for the Colorado Avalanche, to take over as the interim head coach of its hockey program. The university is currently investigating an incident during an outdoor workout that resulted in a player being hospitalized on life support.
Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar confirmed on Monday that the team has granted Hakstol permission to speak with Arizona State. A decision regarding the interim coaching position is anticipated later this week. The university placed head coach Greg Powers on administrative leave last month to conduct its investigation into the collapse of Matthew Mayich, a 21-year-old player who is unlikely to recover from external heat stroke that caused oxygen flow to his brain to be reduced.
Hakstol has prior head coaching experience in the NHL, having led the Philadelphia Flyers from 2015 to 2018 and the Seattle Kraken from their inaugural season in 2021 until 2024. He is currently in his second season as an assistant coach with the Avalanche, where he oversees the team's power play unit. Before his NHL coaching roles, Hakstol spent 15 seasons as the head coach at the University of North Dakota, guiding his alma mater to seven Frozen Four appearances. He also had two stints as an assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs and served as the head coach for the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League from 1996 to 2000.
The Arizona State hockey team played its home-opening series last weekend without head coach Powers or assistant coach Alex Hicks, who was present during the workout when Mayich collapsed. The university has appointed former Arizona State Supreme Court chief justice Scott Bales to lead an independent review of the incident, with the expectation that it will be completed by early December.