Dave Hakstol Named Arizona State Hockey Coach After Powers Exit

Arizona State University hired veteran NHL bench boss Dave Hakstol to lead its men’s ice hockey program Thursday, finalizing a coaching transition triggered by a catastrophic player injury and the subsequent dismissal of Greg Powers.

Hakstol, 58, steps into a program in crisis. The Sun Devils officially parted ways with Powers on Oct. 15, two weeks after placing him on administrative leave following a team workout that left defenseman Matthew Mayich on life support. Family attorney Robert Carey has stated Mayich has no chance of recovery from injuries sustained during the session.

The fallout extends beyond the head coaching position. Assistant coaches Mike Corbett and Alex Hicks were both present at the outdoor workout that resulted in Mayich’s medical emergency. Corbett guided the team to a 2-2 record over the past two weeks as acting head coach but is expected to be placed on paid leave. Hicks did not coach during Arizona State’s home series against Holy Cross on Oct. 9 and 10.

Arizona State moves quickly to stabilize the roster by hiring a coach whose resume bridges elite professional experience and deep NCAA roots. Hakstol was serving as an assistant coach for the Colorado Avalanche, where he managed the power play, as recently as Wednesday night during a 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars in Denver.

His appointment marks a significant escalation in ambition for the Sun Devils. Arizona State began playing NCAA Division I hockey as an independent in 2015 before joining the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) for the 2024-25 season. Bringing in a coach with Hakstol’s pedigree signals the university’s intent to immediately compete at the highest tier of college hockey rather than simply rebuild after a tragedy.

Hakstol spent 11 seasons as head coach at his alma mater, North Dakota, taking over in 2004. He guided the Fighting Hawks to seven Frozen Four appearances and won the NCAA national championship during the 2010-11 season, reaching the title game in his very first year behind the bench. His success in Grand Forks made him one of the rare college coaches to successfully transition directly to an NHL head coaching role when the Philadelphia Flyers hired him in 2015.

He coached the Flyers for three-plus seasons, reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs twice before being dismissed 31 games into the 2018-19 campaign. In 2021, the expansion Seattle Kraken selected Hakstol as their inaugural head coach. He led the franchise for three seasons, engineering a surprising run to the second round of the playoffs in 2023 before the Kraken moved on from him following the 2023-24 season. He subsequently joined Jared Bednar’s staff in Colorado.

Unlike many NHL assistants who lack recent collegiate recruiting networks, Hakstol’s decade-plus tenure at North Dakota gives him established relationships across junior hockey circuits vital for NCAA roster building. His familiarity with the NCHC—where North Dakota remains a powerhouse—provides Arizona State with immediate conference-level tactical insight as the program enters its third year in the league.

The Sun Devils open their next road series against UMass-Lowell on Friday.