Arizona State hires veteran NHL coach Dave Hakstol to lead program, Powers announces resignation

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona State has hired Colorado Avalanche assistant and former NHL head coach Dave Hakstol to lead its hockey program as the school investigates an outdoor workout that left a player on life support.

The team’s previous coach, Greg Powers, said in a statement that he has “mutually agreed to leave my position” as the Sun Devils’ head coach as the investigation into the collapse of 21-year-old Matthew Mayich continues. Mayich is unlikely to recover from external heat stroke that reduced the flow of oxygen to his brain.

“We welcome Dave Hakstol and his family to Arizona State University. His success building championship-caliber programs, developing players for the highest level of the sport, and leading organizations in the NHL speaks to his knowledge of the game and his ability to develop talent,” Arizona State athletic director Graham Rossini said in a statement.

“We appreciate Dave’s belief in ASU and look forward to supporting him as we continue to build Sun Devil Hockey into one of the nation’s premier programs,” he added.

Hakstol, 58, had two stints as an NHL head coach, leading the Philadelphia Flyers from 2015 to 2018 and the Seattle Kraken from their inaugural season in 2021 to 2024. He is in his second season as an assistant to coach Jared Bednar and leads the team’s power play.

Hakstol was the head coach at North Dakota for 11 seasons, leading his alma mater to the Frozen Four seven times. He’s also worked two stints as an assistant for the Toronto Maple Leafs and was head coach of the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League from 1996-2000.

Arizona State has asked former Arizona State Supreme Court chief justice Scott Bales to lead an independent review of Mayich’s collapse, requesting that it be completed by early December. Powers was placed on administrative leave last month.

“Our focus remains where it has been since August 20, on Matthew, and making sure what happened to him is fully understood and never happens to another player,” the Mayich family’s attorney, Rob Carey, said in a statement. “It seems more like a negotiated agreement than accountability, and so we believe Justice Bales’s investigation must continue with its full scope, gathering all digital evidence and covering everyone involved in that morning’s workout and in approving it, and its findings must be made public.

“Coach Powers’s departure should not limit his cooperation or anyone else’s, and the players who have spoken up must be protected. We wish Coach Hakstol, his staff, and the players a safe and successful season.”

The Avalanche hired Brett McLean as an assistant to replace Hakstol on Bednar’s staff.

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