Arizona State hockey hires Dave Hakstol to replace Greg Powers as head coach

Arizona State has reportedly reached a mutual agreement to part ways with hockey coach Greg Powers and has named Dave Hakstol as his replacement.

Powers was placed on administrative leave on Sept. 30 in the wake of an August outdoor workout that left sophomore Matthew Mayich on life support and in a coma.

Mayich, a 2023 sixth-round draft pick by the St. Louis Blues, transferred to Arizona State from Clarkson University this past summer and had previously played in the Ontario Hockey League. His lawyer said last month that he has “zero chance of recovery.”

Powers had been Arizona State’s head coach since 2010 and later led the team from the club level to an NCAA Division I program in 2015. He had signed a five-year extension last November.

The news of Powers dismissal was not noted in the school’s release about Hakstol’s hiring.

Mike Corbett, an assistant on Powers’ staff, coached the Sun Devils through the first four games of the season. He will reportedly not be retained by Hakstol with current assistant Jimmy Mullin remaining in his role and former NHL defenseman Matt Greene joining the staff.

MONTREAL, CANADA – Assistant coach Dave Hakstol of the Colorado Avalanche handles bench duties during the third period against the Montréal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

The 58-year-old Hakstol is no stranger to college hockey. After serving as an assistant coach from 2000-2004 at North Dakota, he was promoted to head coach and led the program for 11 seasons, guiding the team to seven Frozen Fours.

In 2015, he was hired as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers where he remained until being fired midway through the 2018-19 NHL season. Hakstol moved on to become an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs for two seasons before being hired as the first head coach in the history of the Seattle Kraken franchise in 2021. He was fired after three seasons and joined the Colorado Avalanche as an assistant in July.

“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,” said Arizona State’s athletic director Graham Rossini 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.”