Hakstol named first-ever Kraken coach
by Raymond V. Murphy
Seattle Kraken General Manager Ron Francis introduced Dave Hakstol as the first head coach during last weeks team press conference
Hakstol and Francis first bonded together when Hakstol was part of the Team Canada coaching staff at the World Championships in 2019 and Francis served on the management team. On Thursday GM Francis named Hakstol as the first-ever coach of the Seattle Kraken National Hockey League expansion team.
SPECULATIVE WEEK
Weeks of speculation saw Rob Brind’Amour – before he re-signed with the Carolina Hurricane – and former Phoenix Coyote coach Rick Tocchet mentioned as front-runners for the position. Hakstol, a former University of North Dakota and Philadelphia Flyers’ head coach, not so much.
Hakstol, a native of Warburg, Alberta, played four years at North Dakota, two as captain, and after a brief career in minor-league hockey, he took over as head coach of the Sioux City Musketeers’ junior team.
COLLEGIATE CAREER
In 2000, he returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach and became head coach of UND in 2004. A traditional college power, North Dakota made the Frozen Four the first four years Hakstol served as head coach. Overall, the Fighting Sioux qualified for 11 straight NCAA tournaments and seven Frozen Fours under his tenure. Hakstol was the Western College Hockey Association (WCHA) Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2015 and he was an eight-time finalist for NCAA Coach of the Year.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
In 2015, Hakstol became head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers following in the footsteps of coaching legends Herb Brooks and Bob Johnson who also moved from college into the NHL. One of his UND players – Brett Hextall – would talk about Hakstol to his father, Ron Hextall, who happened to be the general manager of the Flyers. The elder Hextall started thinking that Hakstol might be a good fit for his club.
In three-plus seasons, Hakstol compiled a 134-101-42 record in the City of Brotherly Love. The team made the playoffs in two of Hakstol’s three full seasons and was more than .500 each year. But he was let go in December `18 when the Flyers began the season with a 12-15-4 record. The past two seasons, Hakstol has served as assistant coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs responsible for team defense. The Maple Leafs won the Northern Division by five points before being upset by the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs.
Francis said he interviewed eight to ten candidates for the head coaching job, some more than once. At the press conference announcing his hiring, Hakstol said he stresses a work ethic and talked about resiliency – players working thru the `rough patches’ of a long season. In an interview with nhl.com Hakstol talked about the type of player he likes – `’show up every day, love coming to the rink, works hard and cares about his teammates.”
With Hakstol’s experience coaching college and junior hockey, it seems more likely that the Kraken will be aiming for a younger team. More than 30 UND players coached by Hakstol have made the NHL including Jonathan Toews, who helped lead the Chicago Black Hawks to three Stanley Cups and the Washing Capitals’ T.J. Oshie. A Washington native (and former Olympic hero) Oshie has been widely rumored to be joining the Kraken next season
