The National Hockey League's new Seattle franchise has already gotten Kraken with the naming of former NCAA player and coach Dave Hakstol (North Dakota) as its first-ever head coach.
Hakstol, 52, spent the past two seasons as an NHL assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He served as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers from 2015 to 2018, with whom he fashioned a regular-season record of 134-101-42 while also earning two Stanley Cup Playoff berths.
Hakstol took the Flyers job immediately following 15 seasons coaching at his alma mater, all but four of those as head coach. He led North Dakota to 11 NCAA tournament appearances and seven Frozen Four berths, while also winning six regular-season or playoff championships in the old Western College Hockey Association, and one such crown in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. His career record at UND as head coach from 2004 to 2015, while claiming those aforementioned laurels, was 289-143-43 (.654).
Hakstol, who hails from Warburg, Alberta, skated on defense for UND from 1989 to 1992. In three seasons with the then-Fighting Sioux, the last two as team captain, he tallied 10 goals and 36 assists for 46 points to go with 191 penalty minutes.
He played five seasons in the old International Hockey League before getting into coaching with Sioux City (USHL), serving four seasons (1996-2000) with the Musketeers before returning to UND. He also helped Team Canada to silver-medal finishes as an assistant coach at both the 2017 and 2019 World Championships.
The Seattle Kraken will begin play this fall as the 32nd and newest NHL club.
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