David Carle is currently head coach of the University of Denver men’s ice hockey team in the NCAA as well as head coach for the United Stated Junior National Team. This past season saw Denver win its second national championship in three seasons, making Carle a two time national champion at only age 34 in addition to his gold medal at the 2024 World Junior championships. His impressive resume has made Carle a coach many expect to see in the NHL sooner rather than later.
This past offseason saw Carle’s name come up in several NHL head coaching searches. He was speculated to be an option for both the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings coaching positions. The Hockey News openly advocated him to be in serious consideration for the San Jose Sharks head coach position. There might be a few things standing in the way between Carle and the big leagues, however.
This past Tuesday saw Sheldon Keefe have his official introductory press conference as the new head coach of the New Jersey Devils. ESPN’s Greg Wyshnski reported that general manager Tom Fitzgerald interviewed between eight to ten candidates including a few that weren’t ready for the NHL yet, but on their way. One of those candidates was David Carle.
How Close Is David Carle To Becoming An NHL Head Coach?
The fact Carle was even considered should be an honor and a seal of approval for the rising star. It’s also the first time we’ve heard anything that dispels the notion of Carle being on an almost immediate, predetermined trajectory to NHL bench boss. It’s almost as if the NHL said “you’ll be here soon, but let’s pump the breaks for a second, you’re not ready”. Everything that came out before linking Carle to an NHL job was nothing but a glowing endorsement. Even if this was a positive development for Carle it was a step back from his previous praise.
It’s not too hard to realize why Carle was passed over for the Devils and Kings head coaching jobs. The Kings decided to stick with their then interim head coach Jim Hiller who led the team to the playoffs. With the Toronto Maple Leafs Sheldon Keefe coached a young core build around American born super star Auston Matthews and finds himself in a similar scenario in New Jersey where he will coach a young core built around American born super star Jack Hughes. Different candidates were better for those specific roles than Carle.
The San Jose job is a bit different. The rebuilding Sharks are building through the draft, so having a college coach who’s already used to dealing with young player might be an asset. Carle was also a coach to San Jose’s top prospect will Smith. Smith recently announced he was going to sign with the intention of going pro. Sharks general manager Mike Grier has said he’s looking for a candidate with “professional hockey experience”.
Also working against Carle is the middling results of college coaches going to the NHL. Jim Montogmery is a great success story, but then there’s former San Jose Sharks coach David Quinn who left Boston University for the New York Rangers back in 2018. There’s also Dave Hakstol who was recently fired from the Seattle Kraken once year after being named a Jack Adams Award finalist. Hakstol was head coach of the University of North Dakota from 2004-2015 when he took the Philadelphia Flyers head coaching position.
Carle might be the best non “professional league” coach in North America. He’s also in a great place serving as coach of the current NCAA National Champions. It’s fair to say that he’s in no rush to take that jump to the NHL. Wyshnyski even followed up his tweet with the belief that “not ready for the NHL” had to deal with “not wanting to leave Denver”. While there’s been interest and interviews we wouldn’t expect him to leave Denver just yet.