The move would fill a coaching vacancy that opened after Greg Powers went on leave amid investigations into a workout that left player Matthew Mayich on life support.
Arizona State's hockey program appears set to hire Dave Hakstol as its next head coach, pulling him away from his assistant coaching post with the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche have confirmed Hakstol was given permission to speak with the school, and other candidates for the opening have reportedly been told ASU has already made its choice.
Hakstol, 58, brings a resume that includes NHL head coaching stints in Philadelphia and Seattle, plus a long run at North Dakota, where he once played defense before leading the program behind the bench.
The job comes open under difficult circumstances. ASU's program has been in disarray since August, when a team workout left player Matthew Mayich on life support in what has been described as a near-death situation. Head coach Greg Powers has been on leave while investigations into that workout continue.
If the move goes through, Hakstol will get an early measure of nostalgia on the schedule: Arizona State is set to visit the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud on Halloween weekend, putting the former North Dakota coach back in a building familiar to longtime St. Cloud State fans, this time on the visitors' side.