Arizona State hockey found its head coach in Colorado Avalanche assistant Dave Hakstol, per multiple reports on Oct. 12.
It was unclear whether this would be an interim appointment but it appears likely that Hakstol, given his experience, would become the full-time head coach.
ASU has not confirmed the decision.
Coach Greg Powers was put on administrative leave on Sept. 30 following a workout that left defenseman Matthew Mayich on life support and family attorney Robert Carey says he has no chance of recovery.
Hakstol just began his second year as an assistant with the Avalanche and is in charge of the power play.
The Alberta native has NCAA coaching experience, spending 11 seasons at his alma mater, North Dakota, before moving to the NHL. Hakstol became head coach at UND in 2004 and led the program to seven Frozen Four appearances in 11 seasons, including winning a national title in 2010-11 and an NCAA runner-up finish in his first season.
Related: A timeline of ASU’s response to Matthew Mayich’s collapse
He left UND for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2015 and led the team to two playoff berths in three seasons before the team fired him 31 games into the 2018-19 season. He led the Seattle Kraken for three seasons, starting in 2021, leading the team to one playoff appearance.
According to reports, ASU assistant Mike Corbett, who led the team to a 2-2 record as the sitting head coach, is expected to be placed on paid leave. Assistant Alex Hicks did not coach in the home series against Holy Cross on Oct. 9-10. Both were present at the outdoor workout.
ASU will face UMass-Lowell on the road on Oct. 16-17.
Reach the reporter or send tips for stories at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com, as well as @jennarortiz on X.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU hockey set to bring on NHL assistant as head coach, per reports