Exactly three weeks to the day from when former coach Jim Montgomery was formally introduced as the Dallas Stars’ coach, Denver on Friday announced the man he highly recommended as his replacement, assistant coach David Carle.

Carle, 28, is now the youngest active head coach in NCAA Division I hockey. He was an assistant for the past four and a half seasons of Montgomery’s five-year tenture, and before a  year-and-a-half stint as an assistant with Green Bay of the USHL, he was a student assistant on George Gwozdecky‘s staff.

Carle, a 2012 Denver graduate, was recruited to play for the Pioneers before a rare heart condition (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) ended his until-then decorated playing career shortly before the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Nonetheless, the Tampa Bay Lightning still made him a seventh-round selection in the ensuing draft as a nod to his character and dedication to the game.

Those are traits, along with his keen mind, quickly made him a valued member of the coaching staffs of Gwozdecky, Derek Lalonde (a former DU assistant) in Green Bay and Montgomery. His pairing with Montgomery and Tavis MacMillan spearheaded DU’s return to the NCAA promised land just a year ago, when they knocked off NCHC rival Minnesota Duluth to win the school’s eighth national title in compelling fashion in Chicago.

Players have told me for years about Carle’s skill as a teacher and his ability to prepare the team’s defense and penalty kill for opponents. DU’s defense was the fifth-most efficient in Division I last season (2.10 goals per game) and its PK was eighth (85.04 percent), nearly identical numbers to the season before, and Carle shouldered a large amount of responsibility for both figures.

Now, Carle will hold the final say as the Pioneers’ ninth coach.

The school will host a press conference to formally introduce the Anchorage, Alaska, native on Tuesday afternoon.

The coaching carousel

Carle made headlines earlier this offseason when he interviewed for – and subsequently turned down – the top job at Alaska Anchorage shortly after the Frozen Four. When Montgomery resigned a little more than three weeks later, Carle instantly became one of a short list of candidates to replace one his mentors.

Indeed, DU Vice Chancellor for Athletics, Recreation and Ritchie Center Operations Karlton Creech told the school’s official website that Carle was the first person he interviewed for the job.

Several sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Magness Mayhem that UMass-Lowell coach Norm Bazin and Providence coach Nate Leaman were among those interviewed for the position. Former DU assistant Steve Miller also is believed to have spoken to Denver about the job. It’s likely the school talked to others, but in the end through whatever combination of things went down, Creech and Athletic Director Ron Grahame, among others, settled on the candidate they had the most recent first-hand experience with.

The loose ends

There seems to be little doubt that Carle’s staff will include Tavis MacMillan, who was an elite recruiter and forwards coach under Montgomery, and director of hockey operations Joe Howe. Howe, however, could be a candidate for a promotion to assistant coach if Carle believes he’s ready.

Should that happen it might open the door for a more recent DU grad – perhaps former captain Grant Arnold, who was an assistant this past season with Green Bay in the USHL – to move into the hockey operations job. Arnold did extensive video work for the Gamblers and would garner tremendous respect in the locker room. Former volunteer video coach Dave Rogowski, who was the director of hockey ops for Chicago of the USHL, this past season after coming from DU also could make sense if Howe is promoted.

Two sources said they believed there was no chance Miller will put himself into the mix to be an assistant.

We’ll have much more on the hire in the coming days.

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