5 First-Time Head Coaching Candidates New Jersey Devils Should Consider

The New Jersey Devils have a lot of candidates to choose from for a head coach, but should they forgo experience for someone who can bring a fresh perspective to the NHL?

2022 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship
2022 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship | Maddie Meyer/GettyImages
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2. David Carle
Current Job: University of Denver Head Coach

Going to college, the Devils could target a coach that’s getting a lot of buzz. David Carle will get head coaching interviews if that’s what he desires. He’s been the head coach of the Denver Pioneers since 2018. In that time, he’s won two championships and always putting his team in a position to accept a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. 

Carle is coming off a Frozen Four championship, taking his most recent Denver team through every big team in college hockey. He helped developed college stars like Jack Devine, Bobby Brink, and Zeev Buium. The Devils would love Carle’s development skill, but it’s something else they’d want more out of him.

Carle gets the most out of his players. He hits the right buttons and gets his team motivated game in and game out. This isn’t to say he hasn’t lost. Just last year, he was upset by Cornell in the first round of the tournament. Still, he took his team, brought the best out of that talent, and won the championship that next season.

Will that type of motivation that works on 18-22 year olds work on grown men? It shouldn’t be too difficult for the 34 year old. He’s actually younger than Brendan Smith. Yet, he seems to know how to his the right buttons, and the Devils should value that.

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