Dave Hakstol's vision for Sun Devil hockey

Thank you, Graham. I also want to thank President Crow, both of you for your leadership throughout the process and really enabling this to happen. For me, this is a tremendous opportunity for myself professionally, as well as for my family. My wife, Erin, and son, Brendan, are here. My daughter, Avery, is not. She's off at school in a different city. But for me, special opportunity to join this group of guys and work towards a successful season this year as well at the same time laying the foundation towards the future and i'm excited to do that so i'll keep my remarks to that keep them very brief and open them up to questions for everybody here hand up also please say where you're from hi dave nick king from 3 tv cbs 5 here in phoenix welcome um in the deck in the nhl for a decade What made you want to come back to college hockey? You know, when the opportunity arose, obviously, it's very unique timing, right? And a difficult time of the year. But there was something about this opportunity that felt special. And I truly feel that way. I think everything that's here at ASU as an institution, when I look at the foundation that has already been laid here within the program and the hard work of everybody previously involved with this program, including the alums. And then we look to the foundation of the future. I just think there's so much here. It's an exciting opportunity. And I truly mean that. I feel good about joining this group of players and we want our focus to be on this year and everything we can do to make this a successful season, but also with an eye into the future as we become a full-fledged member of the NCHC and everybody got a taste of that the past year and as we move into the future. There's a ton of challenges here, but way more opportunity to continue to grow and build this program into national prominence and become a championship-level program on a year-to-year basis. And can you describe what I imagine has been a whirlwind of a couple weeks? Tough to sum up at this point in time. I was trying to think back today where I was two weeks from today. And I think we were back-to-back in Dallas and back in Colorado. So it has been a bit of a whirlwind. but some amazing people have made the transition you know quite easy to be honest with you that starts with the players I've got to mention the entire staff when I flew into Boston and into Lowell you know right away the the staff around the hockey program made my transition easy and they continue to do that on a daily basis so I've got a lot to catch up on but we'll take that one step at a time can't do everything at once so really just trying to simplify the process do what we can each day make sure we've you know got our our focus on today but also you know a bit of an eye on the future and um you know i think we'll be okay we'll we'll catch up to things Tom Hardenecho from the buttes coach you are taking over as the second coach in this program's history at the division one level and with that comes the challenge of taking over a culture that's been built by your predecessor aside from the you know aside from on ice what is it to you that defines the Dave Haxtell culture and how do you plan to implement that as you start up here well first of all it's day by day and you know let's let's have great respect for what's built been built here in the past right when you look at the success that's that's already been put in place in the move to full division one and in entering the NCHC you know the the spotlight of being able to be a tournament team as an independent like there's been a ton of success that we can build off of first of all we're going to do the work day by day and that's that I truly mean that you have to show up you have to be prepared you have to be detailed you have to be ready to work and you have to be ready to work together so I got a lot of value in guys that are good teammates I got a lot of value in guys that that play extremely hard I like intelligent players I like skilled players and and the ability to mesh those things together is not an easy task uh for any team but we do it year in and year out you you rebuild that team concept year in and year out uh with what you're you know with what the the culture that has been laid uh dictates and that's what we're going to do here and we'll do that a piece at a time so like I said we're not going to do everything in in one day we don't need to do that but I have some very you know specific mindsets in terms of uh the developmental path that we want to put in place for each individual player and how that connects to a consistent team success that we want to have year in and year out and we can talk about it all we want it's not easy to do it's not a given we just have to do the work and put the thought into into doing it and I truly believe we'll be successful in achieving that. Hi coach Gabby Chernoff Sun Devil Source what were you trying to accomplish with your mini training camp as you called it and what was kind of your assessment of the team in that period before you open conference play? Yeah different levels of what we were trying to accomplish number one for for myself as a coach and for Matt Green coming in you know joining the program get to know our players and I don't just mean get to know you know who they are on the ice but also get to know them a little bit off the ice get to know what their abilities are and try and understand that a little bit so we know how to to apply that to our team game and then coupled with that lay the foundation of how we want to play systematically so um you know that's going to take time but the you know truly a blessing really to have the weekend off where we could do that we could take five days and just turn our focus completely inwards to what we want to be and how we want to do it um the guys worked extremely hard at it mentally physically uh we had you know we made some some really good progress now we have to continue to build that day you know day by day those are things that you do over time not over five days um so like i said i think we made great progress i believe that uh now we have to take that and apply it you know to a game week and then continue building hey coach cooper greg bomb values on hockey i guess kind of talk about your staff what roles will your assistant coaches have including recruiting and all that you know we're we're going to still continue to build our staff and we're going to do that uh on a in a timely manner there's no rush for that we're going to get it right we're going to do it right you know we have you know we have very good staff members that work behind the scenes in terms of organizational work recruiting work you know putting us in a good spot moving forward you know jimmy mullen obviously is staying he's gonna he'll run the power play he's gonna work with our forwards he's gonna be integral in in terms of recruiting bringing matt in greener's gonna work with our PK, work with our D, and really he's got such a wealth of knowledge in terms of the steps necessary not only to win but the steps also necessary individually to build your career to a National Hockey League career just based off of his experiences both as a player as well as what he's done career-wise that he'll be involved top to bottom in that as well. Hey Coach, Jake Sloan with Sun Devil Source. It's been a while since you were last in college hockey. What's kind of Changed or throughout the entire country throughout the nation and in college hockey since you were last in it And what does this team kind of remind you of any of those teams that you had? A lot's changed, a lot has changed, a lot has stayed the same The level of college hockey is amazing and I used to think it was amazing. You know even the year that I left I remember I think it may have been the year or two before I left college hockey our compliance department gave us permission to buy bagels for our guys for breakfast but they had to bring their own cream cheese so things have changed a little bit right, little things you know the the business of college hockey has changed and it's and it's ever-changing so you know we're prepared for that, I've continued to be a college hockey fan I've continued to study the game I've watched the business side of it closely so now I'm back into it, I have to learn that firsthand so I you know I've got to do a good job of that but you know the changes with you know with player movement with NIL payments things like that there's a lot of positives there, there's a ton of positives there for the players, creates challenges on other sides in terms of building continuity with your roster and things of that nature but it probably also drives us to make sure we're doing a great job for our players that's the best thing you can do right um you know the other side of it is college hockey's gotten better um as I've watched it like the level of play right now uh when I've when I watch it from a fan standpoint it's spectacular like there are so many dynamic players in the game um and and those dynamic players have always been there I just think there is just a slightly higher level right now I don't know how you put a percentage on that but a good friend of mine that coaches in the league was you know we've talked about it over the summer and we're like I don't know, it's college hockey 20% better is it 25 percent better than it was a couple years with the advent of you know the opening of the CHL there's just there's more talent available and that's raised the bar for everybody so i love that developmental you know developmentally for players in terms of their goal to reach the NHL the level of college hockey is closer it gets them a step closer uh the competitive level from a fan standpoint is i think is tremendous so that for me is exciting Ashling Filippi Cronkite News you were one of the original coaches back when NCHC actually came together so how does it feel to come back to that conference after being away for so far away for so long at such a high level yeah it's it's pretty special i gotta be honest with you um i can remember actually you know the first couple of meetings where there was only a couple of us with uh with a yellow legal pad jotting things down as to where we were going to go because there was at that time we knew there were stresses uh coming to our current league uh with the advent of Big Ten and Big Ten hockey and that was going to change the landscape so we were trying to we were trying to look forward we were trying to plan forward And as we wrote things down and, you know, tried to formulate a plan, you know, it became, you know, kind of a daunting task. Yet some great people brought it together pretty quickly. The league got off to a great start. And, you know, I was part of it early on, and I've watched it closely ever since. And the amount of success that the NCHC has had on a national level is amazing. you know so I see nothing but that continuing in a highly competitive environment it's you know it's not an easy thing that's been done certainly won't be easy to continue that into the future for the league but there's a lot of really good people involved in the NCHC at an administrative level there's a ton of great hockey people involved at the hockey level and those things are going to continue to drive the league and the league's success. Chris Cartman for Sun Devils Source. Hey, Dave. The uniqueness of this situation that you arrived into, how have you felt about the players' emotional state, their connectivity, and just kind of where you want to go from here in those areas? You know, I found the guys want to be coached. You know, they're craving that. So the best thing that I can do is provide leadership. you know for for whatever the day brings provide leadership off the ice provide leadership direction uh and coaching on the ice and that's exactly what i've done so uh you know we haven't complicated that uh we've uh you know we've just uh we've dealt with it in a very straightforward manner um i'm aware of everything you know um i'm aware of you know some of the things that uh that these players are you know possibly dealing with yet i make no assumptions so um you know we just we just hit kind of hit things head-on on a daily basis and the the overriding thing that these guys want they want to be coached they want to find success and they've done a great job of that in terms of what they've brought to the rink mentally and physically hi Dave Emily Stabolito Cronkite news why was Matt green the right person to join you and what does he bring to the team other than his obvious NHL resume you know I just taped an interview on him not just on Matt, but with an outlet up in Edmonton, Alberta. And I answered that question bluntly, directly. You know, I trust Greener with my life, with my family. So that is a pretty good place to start. You know, if we're going to do this, we've got to go into that coach's room and we've got to believe in each other. So number one, Greener, 100%. like I know this guy in and out he was my first captain at the University of North Dakota my very first year as a head coach before he moved to the pro level but what I love about him in conjunction with that you know his directness his honesty his ability to communicate he's really dynamic in terms of his ability to communicate with different personalities so when I look at his career path he's he's a guy that as a player he was rough around the edges as a young guy okay but he knew the right things to do and he was dedicated enough to do that to build an NHL career from there he was smart enough uh to understand what he needed to do to become a leader he became a captain at the NHL level not only that but he was an integral integral part of two Stanley Cup championships so you know when i look at uh who he is what he is i just think he's a real special addition uh not for our you know just for our staff but for the players in that room as a resource these guys these guys they they want to go where he's been and and uh that doesn't automatically make him effective but when i add in all the other intangibles about um you know who he is as a person and how he operates uh he's just he's a great resource for us thanks and speaking of going where he's been ASU's program hasn't always been known for developing players but do you plan to change that and how so yeah let's let's do that on a day-by-day basis and that's part of what i spoke to let's um you know it's really evaluate our developmental path that i believe that's one of the next steps for for our program um and you know we'll uh you know work hard to make sure that this is a great players a great place for players to choose um you know to come and and not only grow and develop and have an opportunity to play in the National Hockey League but we want them to be able to be successful and win while they do that with a great group of people in the dressing Coach Andrew Hazel Echo from the Buttes you bring multiple years of NHL experience as a coach what are some of the details intricacies that you've learned at the NHL level that you're going to take one now you're that you're back in college hockey well it starts really with your with your work with your detail and your consistency to do that sometimes you have to do those things under less than perfect circumstances that's also that's a that's a big trait of being a pro so So, you know, when our guys come into the program, they're not pros, but we want them to grow into that both on and off the ice. So their organization and detail in their daily routines and what they do away from the rink, in the classroom, academically, all of those things are going to impact who they are on the ice. And that's going to carry into their consistency and their ability to be good at the rink on a daily basis. So that's where it starts. I mean, there's a million details that we can talk about in terms of what the game is on the ice and what each individual is going to need to do. And the fact is, they're all different, right? They're all different. So for the guys that come here, like just, you know, just in the past week here, since we've been back in town, our guys that are drafted, you know, I reach out to their NHL teams, whether it's their GM, their assistant GM, their, you know, player development staffs. and we work together in their development while they're here. That's the most effective way. Everybody gets on the same page, everybody has the same message, and we push forward with their development and make no bones about it. Becoming a National Hockey League player and playing at that level for a significant amount of time, that's no small endeavor. So I don't want to make light of it. It's not an easy thing, but we want this to be a great pathway to the National Hockey League, and that's one of the reasons why we want players to choose ASU as the right place for them and their development. Hey, Coach. Robbie Baker with Fox 10. Good to see you again. Good to see you. Now that you've kind of got your feet set here a little bit, having seen the game at every level, what has stood out to you about the facilities and mullet and the resources that the university has put behind the hockey program here? Yeah, it's been a while since I've been in this particular room. It's been a couple years, right, when the NHL was on this side. but the facilities here it's for me it starts with the institution and and that's the first thing as I look at ASU and you know I mean the dynamic growth and depth of the different opportunities educationally at ASU and how that affects your you know your long-term life in terms of connections that you know that are going to be with you for the rest of your life that it starts there the facilities here at Mullett is is amazing you know there's going to be things that we want to look at just like every area of the program and just like every other area of the university always looking for ways to improve to build to grow to find something new that gives you a little edge that helps the player have maybe an edge in his development and we'll continue to do that but the facilities are excellent you know turn your focus to you know to the to the arena to the bowl I mean fans amazing support student support alumni support fan base support like it's you know the the atmosphere i have been here i've been to i've been to college games here um and the atmosphere is tremendous it's awesome it's a great college atmosphere uh we want to grow and build you know build on that so all of the you know all of those things are factors right you know right from the bottom up hi coach Emma Wakefield with Inferno Intel over here um you mentioned your own leadership but can you kind of talk about um you know, the captains stepping in and their leadership so far, like Kyle Smolin and stuff so far when you've been here? As a, as a group, you know, as a group, I can't say enough about them. I haven't walked in their shoes over the past few weeks. You know, I've just been with them now for the last 10, 12 days. And I can tell you the, the quality and depth of the human beings is, is it's pretty impressive. You know, they're, they're good players. What I can grasp, you know, along with that is they're they're they're probably better people and leadership is not easy you know having you know being a being a leader and being a captain on any pro sports team or any college team at any level is not easy right it's it's a great honor but nothing about it is easy and these guys they've done a really good job you know they they speak to important things things that matter to them they've uh they've communicated well with me and you know the real key there is they're they're they're a conduit right they've got to take uh messages from myself and the coaching staff back to the rest of the guys as well um and you know they've got to bring things that i need to be aware of back to me and uh in my short experience with them uh they've done a really nice job yeah hey dave uh blake Newman Fox 10 Sports uh this is a community that It seems like they're craving, you know, a hockey team to rally around. What would just be your message to Sun Devil fans, hockey fans in the Valley about kind of what you're bringing and trying to build here? Well, we want them to be proud of what we're doing. And the best way that I know how to do that is you show the care every day on the ice, right? Like, we do the work in practice. We do the work every day. But when the puck drops on Friday and Saturday night in front of a full house, we got to show everybody that's here, everybody that's spending their hard-earned money, everybody is spending their friday or saturday night that that we care and uh that's that it doesn't always add up you know to to a win right it doesn't always end the right way uh but you know when you show you care when you play that way um i believe people take note of that and i think this is a really good hockey community there's there's a deep hockey tradition here uh there's a ton of hockey acumen and knowledge um so you know i i believe our you know our crowd is a is a is a knowledgeable hockey crowd um and i believe that uh you know they're gonna they're gonna appreciate great effort and care and that's what we're gonna bring every day and we want that to be fun we want it to look fun uh we want to be part of that and continue growing and building what you know the tradition here already is Xander Adams ABC 15 um when it comes to staff obviously you touched on Mullen earlier him being a holdover from previous staff why keep him and was anything done to sort of vet him amid the investigation? I'll keep that brief I know the history of Jimmy I know I do know people you know that that have a deep history with Jimmy. Jimmy was in the league as a player when I was here but I believe he's the right guy for his position at this time that's the bottom line and he's proved that every day and I'm not asking him to prove himself. I want him to do his job and do it really well for the players and I truly believe that that he's the right guy to do that for us. What have your conversations with players and families looked like since what occurred in August? Have there been concerns raised and how have you addressed them? Well I've been here for 12 days so my conversations are limited to that and I'll be honest with you most of my my conversations have been with the players. These guys are young men they represent themselves they speak very well for themselves we've met collectively we've met individually and those have been they've all been productive hi Dave Doug Haller with The Athletic how are you good along those lines just being a difficult time for ASU hockey during the hiring process were there any reservations you had or assurances that you needed to know that alright this was the right place with you whether it was with the program the leadership the direction of the program the support anything along those lines through my conversations with with Graham and we had extensive conversations obviously over a short period of time but you know I had all of those in my mind answered and you know I'm pretty realistic and I'm pretty black and white but we got to all the issues and discussed everything that that I felt you know was was necessary um and obviously i was very comfortable with those um you know part of coming here like i said part of the part of the draw for me was uh coming into the dressing room with this group of players at this time um you know and why that is i you know that's that's just that was something that i felt um and obviously like i said through through good conversations uh made it really clear to me that this was a great opportunity dave craig morgan with the cronkite news nice to see you as well um nhl people have extensive networks on which they lean for information aside from the people that you talk to here at asu who did you lean on for information and what did you hear craig i'll be honest with you in this situation um i leaned on my family um one close friend uh and myself and my knowledge uh of of the game at all levels of people involved. I listened really closely. I think I'm a pretty good evaluator of, you know, of people. And that those truly, that's what I relied on in this situation. I thought that was appropriate. Given the situation, I thought that's the way it needed to be. And I was really comfortable with it.