ASU in talks with Avs' Hakstol to helm men's hockey program

Arizona State University is in talks with Dave Hakstol to become the next head coach of their men's hockey program. Hakstol -- who is currently an assistant with the NHL's Colorado Avalanche -- has been granted permission by the team to speak with ASU about joining their staff. Discussions remain ongoing, but ASU is expected to make a decision on its next hire at some point this week. "We've granted him permission to talk [to ASU]," said Avalanche coach Jared Bednar on Monday. "That's kind of all I know right now. [GM] Joe [Sakic] thinks it's important, and we think it's important that we do that. Let him feel it out, and we'll go from there." The pending coaching change comes in the wake of ASU moving former bench boss Greg Powers to administrative leave late last month in response to a prior incident with defenseman Matthew Mayich. The 21-year-old collapsed from severe heat stroke during an early morning outdoor workout on August 20 -- the first day NCAA activities were allowed ahead of the new season -- at Sun Angel Stadium on ASU's Tempe Campus. Mayich has been in the hospital since the workout and is unlikely to recover, according to his family's attorney, Rob Carey, who said Mayich suffered an exertional heat stroke that reduced the flow of oxygen to his brain. ASU's own internal look at the case revealed the hockey program didn't "submit a plan of training activities for review by ASU's strength and conditioning coaches" before the workout and that the students were exercising in nearly 90-degree temperatures. Still, Powers was not removed from his position until after an anonymous letter from seven players on the team was sent to university president Michael M. Crow on September 29. In it, the players refuted some of the school's findings in their investigation, claiming Mayich was among many who received "no water" during the session (contradicting one of the school's claims that players received a hydration break 20 minutes into it) and called for the coaching staff to be removed pending an independent study of the events being conducted. ASU put Powers on paid leave the next day and inserted assistant coach Mike Corbett for the time being. Now ASU has its eye on Hakstol for the top job. Hakstol has a history of success at the collegiate level -- he spent 11 years as head coach at North Dakota from 2004-2015, collecting a 289-143-43 record while guiding the program to 11 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and seven Frozen Four showings. He went on to coach the Philadelphia Flyers from 2015-2018 and was also head coach in Seattle from 2021-24 before joining Colorado in 2025. Hakstol was on the ice with the Avalanche on Monday for their practice while conversations with ASU continued.