Head Coach Dave Hakstol

In just five seasons as head coach at the University of North Dakota, Dave Hakstol has established himself as one of the most accomplished and well-respected bench bosses in NCAA hockey.

Already a five-time finalist for the prestigious Spencer Penrose Award as the national coach of the year, Hakstol guided the Fighting Sioux to the NCAA Frozen Four in each of his first four seasons and last year led UND to a MacNaughton Cup championship as Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular season champions.

The Fighting Sioux went 24-15-4 overall and 17-7-4 in conference play in 2008-09 en route to their WCHA-leading 14th league championship. Hakstol was also recognized as WCHA Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.

UND has moved up in the WCHA regular season standings in each of Hakstol's five seasons, from fifth to fourth to third to second to first last season.

Hakstol joined rare company when he took the Sioux to the Frozen Four in his first four seasons as a collegiate head coach, joining Jack Parker and Doug Woog as the only three coaches to accomplish that feat.

In Hakstol's first season (2004-05) as head coach, he led a team with nine seniors to the Frozen Four. In his second season (2005-06), he led a team with 13 freshmen and just two seniors to the Frozen Four.

In his third season, Hakstol took UND to the Frozen Four yet again, and sophomore forward Ryan Duncan won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the best player in college hockey.

In 2007-08, his fourth season, Hakstol led UND to a 28-11-4 overall record and 18-7-3 WCHA mark (second place).

In his five seasons, Hakstol has compiled a record of 130-71-19 (.634) overall and is already the fourth-winningest coach in Sioux history, trailing only John "Gino" Gasparini (392 wins), Hakstol's predecessor, Dean Blais (262) and Rube Bjorkman (149).

A key in Hakstol's success has been surrounding himself with an outstanding coaching staff. His first two seasons, he was joined by associate head coach Brad Berry and assistant coach Cary Eades. Eades has won championships on every level at which he has played or coached.

Berry's outstanding work at UND resulted in him accepting an assistant coach position in the NHL's Vancouver Canucks organization in the summer of 2006.

To fill the vacancy created by Berry's departure, Eades was promoted to associate head coach and Hakstol hired former Sioux and NHL player Dane Jackson as an assistant coach.

Jackson, who had an 11-year career as a professional hockey player, has became an integral part of the coaching staff the past two seasons by working individually with each Fighting Sioux player on developing their skills.

The trademark of the Fighting Sioux during Hakstol's first five seasons has been UND's ability to play its best hockey at the most crucial time of the year ­ in the playoffs.

During his first five years, Hakstol has led the Sioux to an overall postseason record of 25-12 (.676) that includes a 16-7 WCHA playoff record and 9-5 NCAA playoff mark. UND's 16 WCHA playoff wins the last five seasons are more than any other WCHA team and the Sioux have advanced to the NCAA postseason nine straight years, tied for the second-longest current streak in the nation.

UND has developed a reputation for doing an outstanding job in preparing players for professional hockey careers and careers beyond hockey. In 2008-09, 17 former Fighting Sioux played in the National Hockey League, the program's most since the 1993-94 season. Thirteen of those players were coached by Hakstol during his nine seasons on the UND staff.

In the last three seasons alone, seven of Hakstol's former UND players have debuted the NHL the year after completing their collegiate careers.

Last season, T.J. Oshie and Chris Porter of the St. Louis Blues and Taylor Chorney of the Edmonton Oilers made their NHL debuts in the year following their departures from UND.

In 2007-08, Jonathan Toews made the jump directly to the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks after playing two years at UND. He was a finalist for the NHL's Rookie of the Year Award and in the summer of 2008 was named the captain of the Blackhawks, becoming the third-youngest captain in NHL history. Toews was 20 years and 79 days old when he assumed the role as Chicago's captain.

Last year Toews captained the Blackhawks to the Western Conference finals.

Defenseman Brian Lee debuted with Ottawa in 2007-08 after playing two seasons for UND. Two players who completed their Fighting Sioux careers in 2005-06 ­ Travis Zajac and Drew Stafford ­ made their NHL debuts the very next season (2006-07).

In the last six seasons, 29 UND players have been selected in the NHL Entry Draft, including six in both the 2007 and 2008 NHL Drafts, and several Sioux are expected to be selected in the 2009 draft.

UND men's hockey players are also outstanding students. In 2008-09, 11 Sioux were named to the WCHA All-Academic team, including a league-leading five who were honored for the third time. One of those players, junior defenseman Chay Genoway, was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America third team.

In 2007-08, 10 UND men's hockey players earned WCHA All-Academic honors, most in the league. In 2006-07, 11 Fighting Sioux were named to the WCHA All-Academic team, tying for the WCHA league high.

Hakstol, 35 years old when he was named UND's head men's hockey coach on July 9, 2004, is just the 15th head men's hockey coach in school history and only the fourth Fighting Sioux head coach in the past 36 years. Hakstol, a Sioux player from 1989-92, is also just the fifth former UND player to also become head coach at North Dakota.

Taking over a tradition-rich program that is synonymous with the word ³excellence² was no small task, but Hakstol's background prepared him for the challenge. Prior to taking over as UND's head coach, the former Sioux captain was a member of Dean Blais's coaching staff for four seasons and in that stint helped coach the Sioux to a 101-47-19 (.662) overall record and 63-33-16 (.634) WCHA record.

During Hakstol's four years under Blais, UND won two WCHA titles, made three NCAA appearances and finished as the 2001 national runnerup.

Named a UND assistant coach on July 1, 2000, Hakstol was elevated to associate head coach in December 2000, and he served as the team's recruiting coordinator in his four seasons working under Blais.

In that capacity, Hakstol played a vital role in helping attract top-caliber student-athletes to UND. Eleven UND players or recruits were drafted by National Hockey League teams while Hakstol and former associate head coach Brad Berry were Sioux assistants.

Prior to joining the UND staff on July 1, 2000, Hakstol spent four seasons (1996-2000) as the general manager and head coach of the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League, posting winning seasons in his last three seasons. Overall, Hakstol had a 101-109-13 record with the Musketeers. He was named the USHL Coach of the Year in 1997-98, when he led Sioux City to a 32-21-3 record.

While coaching at Sioux City, Hakstol also coached the 1998 USA/USHL hockey team at the IIHF Four Nationals Cup in Oslo, Norway, and he was the head coach of the Central District team (USA Hockey) at the National Select 16 Festival in Ann Arbor, Mich., in 1998.

Before beginning his coaching career, Hakstol played professional hockey with the IHL's Minnesota Moose from 1994-96, serving as team captain for two years, and with the IHL's Indianapolis Ice from 1992-1994, serving as team captain for one season. In five professional seasons, Hakstol played in 250 games, scoring 12 goals and recording 37 assists. He also accumulated 455 penalty minutes.

As a defenseman on the Sioux hockey team from 1989-92, Hakstol was a three-year letterwinner and served as team captain from 1990 to 1992. He played in 107 games for UND, scoring 10 goals and adding 36 assists for 46 points. He had 77 penalties for 191 minutes.

Hakstol and his wife, Erinn, have two children: daughter Avery and son Brenden.