If Montgomery leaves DU hockey, Carle likely next to coach Pioneers
Team has advanced to quarterfinals in each of the four years that he has been an assistant
Alaska native David Carle, assistant coach for the University of Denver hockey team, recently turned down the head-coaching position at Alaska-Anchorage. His hope is to eventually succeed his boss, Jim Montgomery, if he ever jumps to the NHL.
Montgomery, who declined comment for this story, is believed to be in the running for the vacant jobs with the New York Rangers and Dallas Stars. If Montgomery takes one of those jobs, Carle believes DU will consider moving forward with the remaining staff, including assistant Tavis MacMillan and goalie coach/director of hockey operations Joe Howe.
“Being from Anchorage and offered that opportunity was difficult to turn down. At the same time, working at Denver is really special to me and it is a goal of mine to ultimately be the head coach at Denver someday,” Carle told The Denver Post. “For me, the best way of doing that is to stay at Denver and continue to help build on our programs’ accomplishments.”
Montgomery was a finalist for the Florida Panthers‘ head-coaching job last summer, months after leading DU to a 33-7-4 record and the program’s eighth national championship. He also interviewed with Calgary in 2015 before
the Flames hired Glen Gulutzan, and Montgomery turned down an opportunity as a Los Angeles Kings‘ assistant last summer.
If Montgomery does leave and DU replaces him from within, Carle, 28, would become the NCAA’s youngest head hockey coach. He graduated from DU in 2012 after serving as a four-year student assistant coach. He was forced to retire from playing hock- ey in 2008 after being diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a thickening of the heart that can trigger cardiac arrest during strenuous activity. The condition was flagged by doctors at the NHL combine.
Behind former coach George Gwozdecky, DU honored Carle’s athletic scholarship and he became a valued member of the coaching staff.
“It’s going to take something very special for me to leave Denver, I love being here” Carle said.
The Pioneers have advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals in each of the last four seasons — coinciding with Carle’s tenure as a full-time assistant.
They made it to the Frozen Four in 2016 and 2017, winning the national championship in ’17 at the United Center in Chicago.
Carle was hired by Montgomery in 2014 after serving as an assistant coach with the junior-A Green Bay Gamblers in 2013-14. Montomgery hired MacMillan, 47, before the 201516 season. MacMillan is a former head coach at Alaska-Fairbanks who said he would remain at Denver and work under Carle if Montgomery leaves and the Pioneers go that direction.
“Denver develops people really well,” Carle said. “We have a way of developing people within our athletic department — led by Peg Bradley-Doppes and Ron Grahame — that makes it a really exciting place to learn and grow — and to stay.”
Mike Chambers: mchambers@denverpost.com or @mikechambers