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TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State is in talks with current Colorado Avalanche assistant and former NHL head coach Dave Hakstol to serve as its interim hockey coach as the school investigates an outdoor workout that left a player on life support.
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Monday the Avalanche have granted Hakstol permission to speak with Arizona State about the position and a decision could come later this week.
Arizona State placed coach Greg Powers on administrative leave last month as it conducts an investigation into the collapse of 21-year-old Matthew Mayich, who is unlikely to recover from external heat stroke that reduced the flow of oxygen to his brain.
Hakstol 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 Bednar and leads the team’s power play.
Hakstol was the head coach at North Dakota for 15 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 played its home-opening series last weekend without Powers or assistant coach Alex Hicks, who was present at the workout when Mayich collapsed.
Arizona State has asked former Arizona State Supreme Court chief justice Scott Bales to lead an independent review of the incident, requesting that it be completed by early December.