Hastings takes over Wisconsin men’s hockey

MADISON, Wis. Wisconsin Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh on Thursday named Mike Hastings the next head coach of Wisconsin men’s hockey.

“I am incredibly excited to have Mike Hastings become our men’s hockey coach,” said McIntosh. “He has a tremendous history of success at Minnesota State and before that with the Omaha Lancers. It is clear from my conversations with Mike that he shares our values ​​at Wisconsin and I know that he is committed to academic achievement and the personal growth of our athletes. He is a great fit for our athletic department and I can’t wait for him to start.”

Hastings brings remarkable consistent excellence to Wisconsin, leading his teams to points in each of his 25 seasons as head coach. That record includes the last 11 seasons at Minnesota State, where he guided the Mavericks to eight NCAA Tournament appearances (2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023), a pair of Frozen Fours (2021) and an NCAA Championship Game (2022) . The COVID-19 pandemic prevented a ninth NCAA appearance in 2020. The win also covers 14 seasons as head coach of the USHL’s Omaha Lancers.

“Wisconsin is one of the great programs in college hockey and I’m both excited and humbled to have this opportunity,” Hastings said. “I want to thank Chris McIntosh for his faith in me. Badger hockey has a lot going for it. Great alums, fans, facilities, traditions, great campus and city. I can’t wait to get to Madison and start working with our team to build a winning culture on and off the ice .”

A three-time Spencer Penrose Award winner for NCAA Coach of the Year, his Mavericks won eight conference regular-season titles during his 11 seasons behind the bench and helped him earn the league’s Coach of the Year five times at MSU.

His MSU streak includes a regular-season conference title in each of the last six seasons, winning the CCHA in 2022 and 2023 and winning the WCHA four times from 2018-21. Minnesota State won the Mason Cup twice as CCHA tournament champions (2022, 2023) and a pair of Broadmoor Trophies as WCHA tournament winners (2014, 2015) under Hastings.

Minnesota State won 20 games in a season twice in its first 16 years in NCAA Division I play, but surpassed the mark in all 11 of Hastings’ seasons. MSU matched its school mark with 38 wins during the 2022 NCAA Championship game, its third 30-win season in four years.

The Mavericks went 299-109-25 during his 11 years leading the program with a .719 winning percentage, which ranks him as the nation’s active leader in winning percentage and gives him the third-highest mark in NCAA men’s hockey history.

At Minnesota State, seven players led by Hastings skated to All-American seasons, including Dryden McKay, the 2022 Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner as the nation’s top player. McKay was also a three-time top-three finalist for the Mike Richter Award, given to the nation’s top goaltender. In addition, nine of his MSU players have skated in the NHL to date.

On the international stage, Hastings guided Team USA to a silver medal at the 2019 Ice Hockey Federation Junior World Championships and served as an assistant coach for the 2022 US Olympic Team in Beijing and the 2022 US National Team at the World Championships. He also served as an assistant coach for Team USA’s junior team at the World Juniors in 2005 and 2003.

His collegiate coaching career began in 2008 as a one-year assistant at Minnesota before moving on to three seasons as an associate head coach at Omaha (2009-12).

His impressive success began in the USHL when he served as head coach and general manager of the Omaha Lancers for 14 years (1994-2008). His teams won three Anderson Cups as regular season champions (2002, 2005, 2008) and three Clark Cups as playoff winners (1998, 2001, 2008).

This all helped him win two USHL Coach of the Year honors (1997, 2002) and five USHL General Manager of the Year honors (1997, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008).

He entered college in 2008 as the USHL’s all-time winningest coach at 529-210-56 at the time.

A 1993 graduate of St. Cloud State, he skated two seasons with the Huskies (1986-88) before an injury cut short his playing career.

Hastings and his wife, Jean Ann, are the parents of two grown children.