University of Denver coach David Carle continues to win at the college hockey level. But while there's been NHL interest in the past, that league goes through coaches more often than the NCAA does.
Coach David Carle won his third NCAA National Championship with the University of Denver in the last five years earlier this month.
Carle, 35, is no stranger to winning, as this year marked the fourth visit to the Frozen Four and sixth national tournament appearance during his eight years coaching Denver's men's hockey program.
The former NHL draft pick has done enough to deserve a coaching gig in The Show. But the stability of coaching at Denver and the lack of it in the NHL may prevent an NHL-caliber coach from working behind a bench there.
That does not take away what he's accomplished since being forced to retire early in 2008 before his freshman year at Denver due to a heart condition diagnosis.
"To kind of see what he's been able to overcome and what he's built that program into... aside from that, he's won the world juniors both times he's been behind the USA bench, and it's just been awesome as his friend to see the level of success he's been able to have," said Drew Shore, who played at Denver while Carle shifted from the ice to the bench.
The former seventh-round pick worked as a student assistant coach for Denver's program while he attended there, and he got his first pro assistant coaching job with the Green Bay Gamblers in the United States League.
After roughly one-and-a-half seasons off the University of Denver campus, Carle signed as an assistant coach for the Pioneers behind coach Jim Montgomery before winning a National Championship in 2017. In 2018, Montgomery left for the NHL, and Carle took the reins of the program.
Since 2021, Carle has won three National Championships and was named coach of the year in 2023-24.
Carle also won gold twice with Team USA at the 2024 and 2025 world juniors.
"One of the reasons though that makes him great is he's a competitor, and I think that ultimately, that competitive drive in him is going to want to win Stanley Cups and do it again at the next level," Shore said.
His dominance garnered interest from NHL teams, including in 2025 when the Chicago Blackhawks searched for a new coach.
But the stability of being the head of a program and not just a team is ideal for a family.
The average tenure for an NHL head coach position is roughly 2.3 years, which is down from 3.25 years in 2013, according to The Athletic.
Only Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper has remained in his role for longer than 10 years, and only three were hired before the COVID-19 pandemic. The other 29 teams have shuffled around for a new bench boss in the last five years, some teams more than once.
Montgomery has coached three different NHL teams since leaving the University of Denver. He spent parts of two seasons with the Dallas Stars, parts of three seasons with the Boston Bruins and parts of two seasons with the St. Louis Blues.
With Boston, Montgomery's team set the NHL record for wins and points in the regular season in 2022-23, and he won the Jack Adams Award. Despite that, he was booted two seasons later.
The New York Islanders and Vegas Golden Knights showed there is no loyalty, even when the team is prepped for a post-season run.
Bruce Cassidy was replaced by John Tortorella with only eight regular-season games remaining, and the Islanders moved on from Patrick Roy to bring in Pete DeBoer with only four games left.
The NHL coaching cycle is a revolving door, and coaches are constantly trying to prove themselves, so building a foundation at a college program may be the better option.
There were seven coaches of Div. I programs this season who spent at least the past 20 years with the same school. Rick Gotkin is at the top of the list. He led Mercyhurst for 38 years before retiring this off-season. Mercyhurst ended up folding its Div. I men's hockey program after its season ended.
Rather than being in the NHL, the college route for a coach might be more appealing as the control of the program demands more responsibility but is balanced with stability.
Carle's dominance over the last five years has made the NHL possibility very real. But with three young kids and a well-oiled machine in Denver, he doesn't need to change jobs.
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