Search for a New Head Coach

[siouxkid12]

10 minutes ago, SJHovey said:

I have another idea on the "posting" issue, and the relatively short time candidates have to "apply."

No one is going to apply for this job.  Almost certainly the posting is a legal requirement put in place by the school to comply with public employee/university/state policies or laws.  They make the time period short because they then have the flexibility to hire whenever they strike a deal with someone.

If you were to apply for this job, and you were currently the coach at another school, that application becomes a public record.  When you don't get the job, you will have a very interesting meeting with your own AD the next time you talk.

This will be a job that will be offered either because our AD approached that coach, or an interested coach makes it known through back channels that they would be receptive to an offer from UND.

 

Lots will "apply", it will be the same process that was done for football. 

[George M. Bluth]

When he was hired, I thought KG was the heir apparent and a hockey savant.  What happened there?

[siouxweet]

6 minutes ago, George M. Bluth said:

When he was hired, I thought KG was the heir apparent and a hockey savant.  What happened there?

The lack of being able to develop a goalie.

[AJS]

Something would have to give for Jax to be a viable candidate. The blame for the state of the program (the reason Berry was let go) would have to shift entirely to Berry’s shoulders. It would be Jax that would have to explain that to the fanbase. The Jordan Schmaltz video holds no water. The message could not be, Berry is this awesome guy / coach and so is Jax. You clearly cannot have more of the same. Illogical. 

[nodakgirl93]

6 minutes ago, siouxweet said:

The lack of being able to develop a goalie.

Mr Schlossman would say otherwise. Look at this stat 🤣

but anyway back to the topic of this thread...

 

[siouxweet]

5 minutes ago, AJS said:

Something would have to give for Jax to be a viable candidate. The blame for the state of the program (the reason Berry was let go) would have to shift entirely to Berry’s shoulders. It would be Jax that would have to explain that to the fanbase. The Jordan Schmaltz video holds no water. The message could not be, Berry is this awesome guy / coach and so is Jax. You clearly cannot have more of the same. Illogical. 

Schmaltz video?

[Greenbayguy87]

5 minutes ago, siouxweet said:

Schmaltz video?

On X  

 

[siouxkid12]

3 minutes ago, nodakgirl93 said:

Mr Schlossman would say otherwise. Look at this stat 🤣

but anyway back to the topic of this thread...

 

But Berry and crew didn't develop T.J., he was a portal goalie with D1 experience already. 

[Langster019]

17 hours ago, Godsmack said:

What about Peter Mannino? Been an assistant/associate head coach for a long time and uber competitive. Imagine the irony if we hired the guy who heat us in the 05 championship.

Don’t know it’s comparable but he didn’t do great as HC of DSM of USHL 

[nodakgirl93]

10 minutes ago, siouxkid12 said:

But Berry and crew didn't develop T.J., he was a portal goalie with D1 experience already. 

And he was very average in first half of season.

[Blackheart]

6 minutes ago, Greenbayguy87 said:

On X  

 

More of the "let's stay with someone close to the program" and "it needs to be someone from within the UND family" rhetoric.  Not that it's a bad thing but why not at least open yourself up to some different options?  UND just finished 10 years of Berry which by many measurements was very successful.  Lack of playoff success was what got him in the end so why would you automatically take the guy who's been right there with him the whole time?  At least take a look around before you hire the next Sioux guy.

[Speed_Kills]

37 minutes ago, AJS said:

This is in response to @Speed_Kills post about Jax being the frontrunner. Which I do not doubt his information. I was shocked at first, but giving it a bit more thought, maybe I shouldn't have been.

Even in this expedited process, I think what we'll see is a shift from emotional to logical. At the same point, looking at what is to be expected from certain segments. Current / former players from the Berry / Jackson era. I'm making two assumptions. The first being, of course they were recruited and play for those coaches. There's no doubt they will throw their support publicly towards Jackson. Or if not publicly, the rumor mill will favor Jackson for those with connections to the hockey circles. We all remember in the past few years, social media campaigns from current players wanting Freuchte / Roehl to get the open job. This goes beyond the players, this would also include current staff, they would also want to keep their jobs and the status quo. Side note, I would also think that if a player didn't feel that way, they clearly wouldn't feel comfortable enough to come out against their current coach. 

I also believe that if Jax was a lock to be the guy, they would have announced it by now. As far as him being the frontrunner, Monday morning / Monday afternoon. Vs who? Himself? Had anyone else applied? Do they know who Chaves and his small circle has on their wish list? Unless @Speed_Kills source is from the AD's office, I think we'll see a shift.

The shift we should see is to the logical, which is anyone but Jax. The President / AD who fired Berry because of performance is not going to hire his Assistant. Let's not forget they paid 500K because they felt the direction needed to change. 

Just reporting from a reliable source. I was pretty shocked when I heard this as well. In fact, if that's the direction they go I would rather have had Berry play out his final year of his contract, not extend, and make the pivot then.  That's obviously not what happened.  I guess we will all have to see.  I hope there will be a completely different voice(s) in the locker room. 

As for KG that some people are discussing. Same source indicated the he has a difficult time connecting with the players. He is incredibly smart/highly intelligent. But for lack of a better term - a little socially awkward. Today's college players are not the same as they were 20 years ago. They want to be coached and communicated differently. 

For what it's worth I want a young, up-and-comer.  I have been very high on Raboin for a long time.  Was actually campaigning in my circles for him well-before Christmas.  He brings a lot to the table.

[nascar99]

4 minutes ago, Blackheart said:

More of the "let's stay with someone close to the program" and "it needs to be someone from within the UND family" rhetoric.  Not that it's a bad thing but why not at least open yourself up to some different options?  UND just finished 10 years of Berry which by many measurements was very successful.  Lack of playoff success was what got him in the end so why would you automatically take the guy who's been right there with him the whole time?  At least take a look around before you hire the next Sioux guy.

J Swish is clearly biased in favor of what he knows, nothing inherently wrong with that, I don't expect a former player turned entertainer/content creator to have the closest pulse on what the program actually needs.

[AJS]

1 minute ago, Blackheart said:

  UND just finished 10 years of Berry which by many measurements was very successful.  

@jdub27 will absolutely hate this and will say it feels like cherry picking, but what happened in the NIL era / last few years has to be weighted more heavily. IMO, the state of the program in 2025 is far worse than it was in 2022. Things are changing quickly in the collegiate landscape. I'm listening to what @yzerman19 is saying about recruiting. 

It's a different conversation about Berry's overall legacy. For the current state of this program and the future, it's absolutely what have you done for me lately.

[mattim]

13 hours ago, OopsSioux said:

Bottom line I'm happy to see they're moving on from Berry.  

Watching the teams of the last few years has been pretty uninspiring.

The last game of the year was a perfect example and was status quo.  It truly feels like a ton of the mistakes that were still being made at the end of the season were absolutely correctable through coaching. 

To note: I think the talent pool of this year's UND team was fine.  Certainly not the best but they should have been better.

No look passes seemingly normal in your own end , lackadaisical breakouts, the worst penalty kill I've ever seen by UND, poor goaltending (not in the final game.). Just overall the grit Berry was talking about was awful and not there.

Haks teams even when less talented still always developed some kind of an identity through the season and generally played much better.

These few years remind me Lucia's tenure at the goofs.

 

Agree completely, this year’s talent was not #1 in NCAA or even a #1 seed, but  this year’s talent was definitely good enough to be playing in Fargo this coming weekend! 

[iramurphy]

8 hours ago, Pump It Up said:

Raboin would also have to want the job. It seems crazy that he wouldn’t if it was offered. But my understanding is he is exceedingly loyal. Wasn’t cool with whatever Motzko was doing to move to Minnesota while SCSU was the top team in the country and playing in the tournament but stayed with him another four years.

Auggie and Morton brought him in, first head job, have done far better than anyone could have foreseen and have a new arena coming online. He’s got a nice set up as is.

I don’t think he says no if offered but he won’t be losing sleep if he is not considered.

I think that is pretty accurate. I got the impression from UND that they have a plan already in place, and anyone else can access an application online. Just my impression. 

Your take on his relationship with Morton, I believe is accurate. 
 

[Godsmack]

The Live in Five podcast this week oughta be interesting! 

[AJS]

Hand up, I am officially nervous. I always expected Jax to be interested and for him to be listed as a finalist when the new coach is announced. I still cannot fathom him getting the job logically, but who else is being named? I just keep telling myself, you don't fire Berry with one year left, pay him $500K just to hire his Assistant who you could have just hired a year from now. Need some other rumors though for my sanity. 

[.357]

21 minutes ago, Speed_Kills said:

Just reporting from a reliable source.

Don't have to name names, but if you could elaborate on how close to the program this person is that would be nice.

[Speed_Kills]

2 minutes ago, .357 said:

Don't have to name names, but if you could elaborate on how close to the program this person is that would be nice.

 Close ties to the 2024-25 Men's Hockey Support Staff

[AJS]

3 minutes ago, Speed_Kills said:

 Close ties to the 2024-25 Men's Hockey Support Staff

This makes me feel *a bit* better. If it was close ties to the AD office, I would be much more nervous. 

[tnt]

17 minutes ago, AJS said:

Hand up, I am officially nervous. I always expected Jax to be interested and for him to be listed as a finalist when the new coach is announced. I still cannot fathom him getting the job logically, but who else is being named? I just keep telling myself, you don't fire Berry with one year left, pay him $500K just to hire his Assistant who you could have just hired a year from now. Need some other rumors though for my sanity. 

...and also to hire the guy who was in charge of the phase of the game that probably kept them out of the tournament -- penalty killing. 

[.357]

21 minutes ago, AJS said:

Hand up, I am officially nervous. I always expected Jax to be interested and for him to be listed as a finalist when the new coach is announced. I still cannot fathom him getting the job logically, but who else is being named? I just keep telling myself, you don't fire Berry with one year left, pay him $500K just to hire his Assistant who you could have just hired a year from now. Need some other rumors though for my sanity. 

No kidding, this thread went from inspiring to nerve-wracking in short order. Hiring Jackson and keeping the other assistants isn't exactly a new direction for the program.

If Hakstol actually was flying out of the state this am, as some other poster noted, that probably means he's not getting the job because I would expect the new coach to be giving a short speech Thursday sometime. But it's anyone's guess.

[sioux24/7]

What a fumble it would be if Dane gets this. I don’t believe it to be the case. I think we are at the part in the process where every one is just going crazy so thinking of different scenarios. Similar to the NFL Draft process and people saying that Will Levis was going 1 or 2 and he “fell” to the 2nd round. 

[Blackheart]

32 minutes ago, AJS said:

@jdub27 will absolutely hate this and will say it feels like cherry picking, but what happened in the NIL era / last few years has to be weighted more heavily. IMO, the state of the program in 2025 is far worse than it was in 2022. Things are changing quickly in the collegiate landscape. I'm listening to what @yzerman19 is saying about recruiting. 

It's a different conversation about Berry's overall legacy. For the current state of this program and the future, it's absolutely what have you done for me lately.

So current state of the program is weighing heavily on many.  When Blais  and Hak left NCAA tourney wins were plentiful.  Felt like a seamless transition.  Unfortunately Brad has struggled in the big dance and this transition seems a little shakier.  Hopefully whoever comes in can get off to a positive start, especially with the guys already in the locker room.