Right now, Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill is in the middle of finding a new head coach after letting Pete DeBoer go last week. After reports of DeBoer losing the locker room after his comments following Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, it was time to move on from DeBoer. Nill is considering all aspects of his coaching search, looking at both internal and external hires. However, this name might turn some heads if Nill decides to go down this route.
For those who don't follow college hockey that much, there are a certain number of schools that consistently make their version of March Madness every season. One of those schools is the University of Denver. I remember going with my dad to drop my brother off at band camp at the University one summer. You could tell hockey was in their DNA at that University. This potential hire could shake the NHL if Jim Nill decides to hire Denver University Hockey Head Coach David Carle.
David Carle is an excellent head coach who has taken Denver University. He took his team to the National Championship in 2022 and 2024 and won the NCAA Championship in 2024. They had their best start in program history this past season by winning their first 12 games. He has also coached at the national level for Team USA at the IIHF World Junior Championship, earning a gold medal. This guy is like Neil Graham's long-lost brother. All he's doing right now is winning, and his coaching stock is rising.
The reason why David Carle is a long shot to become the next head coach for the Stars is the fact that he's an outsider to the organization. With Nill announcing that the Assistant Coaching Staff will be staying for the upcoming season, it feels like Nill is considering hiring from within the organization, such as hiring Neil Graham, whom we've already discussed. But, it's not outside the realm of possibility that Nill hires someone like Carle. He would be the perfect outside candidate, in my opinion.
In conclusion, don't count out the Stars looking at him as a coaching candidate. He's got the resume of being a winning head coach in the NHL. However, I feel like with the current state the Stars are in right now, it wouldn't be a good time to hire a coach like him. Personally, let's just let Nill cook and pick the best possible coach to lead the Stars to a Stanley Cup Title. Who knows, maybe the assistant coaching staff could help teach Carle the ropes and win the Stanley Cup next season.