DU Hockey fans know very well David Carle’s ascent as one of college hockey’s top coaches. Now coaching at the World Junior Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, the world gets to see Carle, 34, once the youngest head coach in college hockey, perform at one of hockey’s most visible showcases.
In five and a half short years at the helm in Denver, he has a national championship and a winning percentage (163-53-13, .673%) similar to other legendary Denver coaches Murray Armstrong (460-215-31, .674%), George Gwozdecky (443-267-64, .613%), and Jim Montgomery (125-57-26, .663%). All of this with the best to come.
How does he do it?
He grew up playing the game of hockey in his home state of Alaska, had a Hobey Baker-winning brother Matt, and interned under some of the finest college head coaches and assistants in hockey.
But make no mistake, Carle is his own man.
Never too high or too low, Carle balances his youth with experience and emphasizes accountability and consistency to drive on-ice performance. Underpinning these values, he leans on DU hockey history and tradition. While he has not loaded up on elite, high-draft-pick players like Michigan and Boston College have, he has recruited select elite talent to fit his vision for Denver Hockey while teaching and developing players.
What do players think of playing for David Carle? Just attend the end-of-season hockey banquet and watch seniors with tears in their eyes say they don’t know why Carle recruited them because they thought they were never good enough. Hear about all the hard work that went into the previous season being worth the effort. And listen to the players say how proud they are of Carle’s own growth. “DC” knows a diamond in the rough when he sees one – and so do his players.
He’s not afraid to learn from others and leans on his veteran assistants, Tavis MacMillan and Dallas Ferguson – both former head coaches in Alaska. Their experience, advice, and recruiting prowess anchor Carle in a sport full of highs and lows.
Just look at the talent he gathered around him at this year’s World Junior Championship. You will spot familiar faces like Nick Meldrum, equipment manager for USA & DU; Travis Culhane, video coach and Director of Hockey Operations at DU; Brett Larson, assistant coach & NCHC head coaching peer; the legendary Steve Miller, assistant coach for USA and formerly at DU; and David Lassonde, goaltending coach (Former DU Assistant Coach).
Now, Carle is showing the world what he can do with the help of some very talented associates and his own elite DU defender, Zeev Buium. Tomorrow we will all cheer for the USA but a bit louder than usual. A DU alumnus stands behind the bench. The student is now the teacher, calling the shots and making history. We’re so glad and proud to be along for the ride.
Team USA goes for gold tomorrow (Friday) at 11:30 am MT on NHL Network.
David Carle is the BEST! Don’t know how he remains so calm behind the bench.
Today’s game was a heart stopper. Tomorrow’s will probably be the same. The talent on Team US is amazing to watch. Hope Zeev Buium didn’t lose a tooth when the Finnish stick hit him in the mouth today.
Looking forward to neutral and more consistant refs in the championship game vs Sweden tomorrow.
GO USA !!!
Carle is doing a masterful job managing this USA team. You cannot imagine the kind of pressure he is under, dealing with agents, NHL GMs, Scouts, player development people, USA Hockey brass, college/junior coaches, global media, player families, and player egos – and then there are the in-game adjustments, the staff dynamics, the referees, etc. It’s a huge load to take on, on top of his regular job coaching at DU.
But if he wins tomorrow, he’ll walk into a very elite circle of US coaches who have ever won this tournament.
David deserves all the credit we can heap on him but let’s not overlook the tremendous support from parents Bob and (especially) Karen and 2 brothers who were huge cheerleaders even while Matthew was playing in the NHL. It’s a family thing.
Oh hell yes!!! Gold medal in tow!!!!