Why David Carle decided now isn’t the time to leave DU for the NHL — ‘if ever’

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David Carle has been among the top NHL coaching candidates the past few years.

It’s for good reason. The 35-year-old built the University of Denver into college hockey’s model program and won back-to-back World Juniors gold medals for Team USA. But while Carle had conversations with the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks about their head coaching openings this summer, he reaffirmed his commitment to the Pioneers by signing a multi-year extension this week.

“There was some strong consideration to explore it,” Carle told The Athletic on Thursday. “But at the end of the day, I think everything I’ve said held true. The situation didn’t perfectly align and meet the things we were looking for to leave a wonderful place to raise our family and continue to work. We feel very blessed and grateful to stay here. We love Denver. It’s our home, and I think going through the (NHL talks) probably solidified that even more for us.”

When asked what he learned from his latest discussions with NHL teams this offseason, Carle put it this way: “I think it just reiterates that there’s zero reason to leave Denver in the near term — if ever.”

Carle said his extension talks with Denver started last summer, so this wasn’t just a reaction to his getting NHL interest in this cycle. There were certain things he was looking for from the school, like enhanced travel and raises for his assistant coaches. There was no rush to sign as Carle was under contract through 2026-27. Denver is a private school, so they don’t have to disclose terms, but Carle indicated the length of this deal is similar to other ones he has signed (his current one was a five-year deal signed after winning the 2022 national title).

Carle talked to the St. Louis Blues last offseason about their head coaching position before pulling himself from consideration, and that’s what happened with the Blackhawks this spring, as well. He had a couple of days of conversations with the Ducks, though they clearly had Joel Quenneville as their No. 1 choice (he was officially hired Thursday). There were a few other inquiries from teams, but none that reached anything formal.

If nearly a third of the NHL teams had coaching changes this offseason and Carle indeed talked to a couple of them, why wasn’t now the time to make the jump?

“I’m one who learns by getting information,” Carle said. “I’ve got to touch it, feel it a little bit. It just wasn’t the right opportunities or really the time for myself and my family to move on. And there’s lot of exciting things that keep me motivated and keep us very engaged within the community and obviously the work I do with our hockey program.”

Carle has said it’d take a “life-changing” opportunity for him to leave Denver. He and his wife, Mellissa, have three kids, including a baby daughter born in March. He has felt a special bond with the school since it decided to honor his scholarship shortly after medical tests at the NHL combine in 2008 showed he had a heart condition that would be career-ending. He’s been on the staff ever since.

Life as a top NHL coaching prospect: David Carle is soaking in every second, and championship, at Denver

Our deep dive on Carle, who opens up on his unique path, being forever “intertwined” with ⁦@DU_Hockey⁩ + what comes next https://t.co/hEv2x3L0KH

— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) March 12, 2025

If Carle is going to the NHL, he has to believe there’s a chance to win, and there needs to be a synergy with him and the general manager/ownership, much like he has in Denver.

Then there’s the fact that the average coaching tenure of active coaches is now at 1.98, a staggering number. Carle has said in the past that “NHL coaches aren’t treated in a way that’s conducive to long-term success.”

Could Carle end up being a college coaching lifer, like the late Ron Mason or Ferris State’s Bob Daniels?

“I don’t really plan that far out,” Carle said. “So the answer would be yes. But I don’t make concrete plans.”

Carle has said there’s no issue in being patient. He thinks Denver might be the “best job outside the NHL, potentially a better job,” saying, “some guys in the NHL would trade with me if they had that opportunity.” The Pioneers have reached the Frozen Four in six of the past 10 years.

And after Denver losing in this year’s Frozen Four to eventual champion Western Michigan, Carle seems as motivated as ever. He told The Athletic after the Frozen Four, “What drives me now is people saying, ‘It was a good run.’ F— that. That window is still wide open. And we’ll be back.”

Carle told the team at a meeting two weeks after the season last year that he was staying. This time, Carle felt the group had a pretty good idea. “They know where I stand,”  he said. So he just texted a bunch of upperclassmen to give them a heads-up.

“We don’t plan on taking a step back, and we’re really excited about the players that we have coming,” Carle said. “Our administration, school, has been wildly supportive of our staff and program and have been really happy with the way we’ve been doing things. So there’s real alignment, which is really nice to have.”

Carle didn’t rule out eventually going to the NHL, but it’s very clear he can be picky. There’s a buyout in his contract, like with most coaches, but he said, “My intent is not to have it be like this every spring” in having dalliances with NHL teams.

What would it take to leave?

“Everyone can speculate,” he said. “But everyone thought I was leaving, and I’m not. So, if there’s anything, it’ll be on our terms. I’ll just say that.”

(Photo: Adam Ihse / Getty Images)

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