New Jersey Devils: 5 College Coaches Who Could Be Head Coach
The New Jersey Devils are going to look far and wide to find their next head coach, even if they eventually hire Alain Nasreddine. Today, we’re looking at the college head coaches who may be ready to make the jump to the NHL.
The New Jersey Devils may be starting early on the head coaching search now that the season has been suspended, and the Devils season could very well likely be over. With no hockey games to focus on, there’s a lot of changes to make to send the Devils in the right direction for years to come.
College head coaches have a very controversial history in the National Hockey League. When the Dallas Stars hired Jim Montgomery directly from the University of Denver, he was only the fourth person ever to make the jump from NCAA to NHL. He was fired this past season for making inappropriate comments, of which were never really revealed. Since then, the New York Rangers hired David Quinn, but it’s too early to judge his tenure there.
The only other recent coach to jump from the NCAA to the NHL was Dave Hakstol. He actually had a decent record before he was fired after a slow start with the Philadelphia Flyers last season.
With the iffy record coming from college head coaches, should the Devils even consider it? Honestly, record wise both Hakstol and Montgomery would have the Devils celebrating, so it’s definitely something the Devils need to consider. Let’s get right into the possible contenders.
Scott Sandelin – University of Minnesota Duluth
Scott Sandelin is the most decorated head coach fo the last decade, even if he only has two titles. He’s been in the championship game three years in a row, winning the last two. Joey Anderson was on two of those teams, and he’s likely going to be on the team next year, so that’s always a plus.
Sandelin has been known to get the best out of his players, taking a defensive group of five freshman to a National Championship win in 2018. He’s a three-time champion, and has a proven pedigree of working with younger players.
Sandelin was rumored to jumping to the NHL last offseason, and then Minnesota Duluth signed him to a massive extension that takes him through 2025. The Devils would have to pay to get him out of the contract, then pay even more to give him an incentive to leave the NCAA, where he’s the big dog. Then, there’s the fact that not everyone is sold his play style can translate to the NHL. At the end of the day, the risk and money is too high to sign him, but it’s at least worth a phone call.
Mike Schafer – Cornell University
Mike Schafer is currently the head coach of the best team in college hockey. That’s always a positive when teams are looking to give him a promotion. Big Red has only lost six games this whole season, four in overtime. They are the best team in college hockey, and they were looking to win their first championship in 50 years.
That is an issue, however. Are the Devils really willing to give the keys to the franchise to a coach who’s never had a championship pedigree while in a lesser form of hockey?
Schafer is a really good defensive coach, only allowing 48 goals against in 30 total games. That’s less than two goals against per game for those of you really bad at math. That’s good for second best in the country behind Minnesota State. They play that bruising style of hockey that wears people down.
Will that translate to the NHL? That’s really hard to tell. Obviously, his defensive chops make him an intriguing option for the Devils. They desperately need help on the blue line, but they also can’t have the offensive side completely ignored. Can they go with someone who focuses so much of stopping goals against when the team wants to build around Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes?
Schafer is again an intriguing option, but maybe not the right coach for the players the Devils have in place right now. It’s hard to get the best of both worlds, but if the Devils are going to go into the NCAA to hire their coach they will need to have someone who is more well rounded.
Rand Pecknold – Quinnipiac University
We really tried to steer clear of these long-term NCAA coaches, but it’s hard to be honest. A lot of the best college coaches have been with their programs for generations. It’s a college thing in general to be honest. Just look at Coach K with Duke University basketball and Bobby Bowden with Florida State football. Coaches don’t always make the jump when they are comfortable in a place.
Ran Pecknold has been with Quinnipiac University since 1994 when they were a Division II program. That’s a lifetime ago. Honestly, most of the people reading this either don’t remember 1994 or probably didn’t even exist then. Taking someone out of their environment like that can be a culture shock, even for someone who’s 53 years old.
That age bracket is the only reason we’re considering Pecknold. He’s been there forever, but he’s still young enough to adjust. If you hire someone in their 60s, it’s usually impossible to get them to adjust to the NHL lifestyle. Pecknold has a couple years when he can make this work.
Quinnipiac has a top 20 scoring margin this season, and Pecknold led his team to the championship game two times this decade. With the university getting a new president, he might at least consider changing career paths. He’s fine, and honestly seems like he has the right demeanor to be an NHL coach. However, there’s a lot that’s unknown, and his expectations were just to compete for so long we don’t know what happens when they ramp up to NHL level.
Greg Carvel – University of Massachusetts
Greg Carvel is the type of college coach we really look for. He jumped from the NHL coaching ranks (assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks and Ottawa Senators from 1999-2011) to the college ranks to get a head coaching job. He has that background in the professional leagues, then went to college to get head coaching experience.
He’s been with UMass for three seasons now. In his first season, they won just five games. He brought them back from the dead, winning 31 games last season and going all the way to the NCAA Championship Game.
This season, he’s had the Minutemen in the Top 15 the entire season, and was going to be a contender once the Frozen Four Tournament was expected to start. Now, obviously, that’s not the case.
Unlike most of the coaches on this list, Carvel doesn’t feel like a lifetime NCAA coach. He’s been in the Stanley Cup Finals twice as an assistant coach. He’s shown he can take a franchise from obscurity to propensity in really no time at all. This would be a very intriguing hire for the Devils.
His team has the seventh-best scoring margin in the country, and he just got done coaching up Cale Makar to be the player he is now, which is one of the best defensemen in the league in his early 20s. He’s proven he can develop the best of the best, which he’s getting in Hischier and Jack Hughes.
Nate Leaman – Providence College
It sounds like Nate Leaman is committed to staying away from the NHL next season. He’s already committed to coaching the Team USA Juniors team at the World Junior Championship. Leaman also won the national championship in 2015. They also made the Frozen Four this past season, so he’s still got a great team under his belt.
So, not only would Leaman have to leave his college players on an off year, but he would be leaving the chance to represent his country. That may be a proposition that’s hard to pass up, but NHL head coaching opportunities don’t open up for those not in the boy’s club.
Providence College is another program doing really well with scoring margin. He’s coached Devils prospect Patrick Moynihan to a 21 point season. The one thing he brings that the Devils would love is he’s structured. After a year where John Hynes seemed to change his lines on the daily, a little consistency might be what this team needs.
Last season, Leaman apparently interviewed for the head coaching position of the Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres. He’s clearly thinking at least in passing of a head coaching job at the highest level. Even with the commitment to USA Hockey, he can be had for the right price. Honestly, that price might just be “a job in the NHL”.