DU’S MONTGOMERY NAMED STARS’ COACH

Montgomery led the Pioneers to four consecutive NCAA quarterfinals

At noon Wednesday, University of Denver hockey coach Jim Montgomery informed his team he has agreed in principle to become the head coach of the Dallas Stars, according to a source.

In a text message to The Denver Post, Montgomery said he will withhold public comment until Friday, when the Stars are expected to have a news conference in Dallas to introduce him as the replacement for Ken Hitchcock.

Montgomery, 48, recently completed his fifth season at Denver, where he led the Pioneers to four consecutive NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearances — plus the 2016 and 2017 Frozen Fours. The Pioneers won their eighth national championship in 2017, after which Montgomery was a finalist for the Florida Panthers’ head coaching job before withdrawing his name.

Montgomery, who won two Clark Cup championships in three years as the head coach and general manager of the Dubuque Fighting Saints before coming to DU, also recently interviewed with the New York Rangers.

Montgomery becomes the second college-to-NHL hire in the past three years, following the Flyers’ Dave Hakstol in 2015. Hakstol was considered one of the premier college coaches at North Dakota before making the switch.

Montgomery inherits a Dallas squad led by Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. The Stars are coming off a season in which they missed the playoffs for the eighth time in 10 seasons.

Montgomery’s staff at DU might remain at the school, and assistant David Carle, 28, has said he would interview for the head coaching job if Montgomery was to leave. Carle also said assistant Tavis MacMillan, 47, a former head coach at Alaska-Fairbanks, would be his top assistant at DU if the school chooses to hire him.