Is Arizona State Close To Finding Their Next Hockey Coach? School Reportedly In Talks With National Champion

Just over a week after Greg Powers was put on leave, Arizona State may have the next answer for its hockey program.

Former North Dakota Fighting Hawks head coach Brad Berry, who led ND to a national title in 2016, is rumored to be in talks with ASU Hockey as their next head coach. | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

It has been a turbulent, confusing last few months for Arizona State hockey.

Many questions around the program remain unsettled, but the school may be on to finding one answer for the program: their next head coach.

According to Paul Shaheen of Research On Ice, Arizona State has reportedly been in talks with former North Dakota head coach Brad Berry.

What could a move like this mean for the outlook of the Sun Devil program? Here is everything to know on the situation, as of Thursday, Oct. 8:

Berry Brings A Clean Slate

After a lack of organization and accountability with Greg Powers, Brad Berry could bring a championship pedigree that ASU needs after Powers' blemishes.

A former NHL defenseman, Berry spent 10 seasons coaching the North Dakota Fighting Hawks (2015-2025), winning a national title in 2016.

Berry led North Dakota to five NCHC regular-season titles and one NCHC tournament win, winning the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year Award four times.

In Shaheen's report, a long-time NHL executive even said that if Berry were to come to Arizona State and be completely in charge, including replacing the entire current staff, it could have a similar effect to when Curt Cignetti was hired at Indiana and completely turned around the football program.

A CFP-level hire may be a lofty expectation, but Berry's resume does speak for itself.

The Signs of Change

As Arizona State hockey hosts their home opener this weekend vs. Holy Cross, Brad Elliott Schlossman for the Grand Forks Herald announced that ASU associate head coach Alex Hicks will not be with the team.

Hicks and fellow assistant Mike Corbett were behind the bench for ASU's season-opening road trip to Lindenwood, which reportedly made players uncomfortable, given the coaches' relationship with Greg Powers.

Now, for the second series of the year, ASU's bench will have a different look, likely showing that the Sun Devils are on the verge of a full-blown staffing change rather than just an interim hire.

Arizona State athletic director Graham Rossini told the media last week that they are aiming to have an interim head coach in place as soon as this week.

End Of The Road For Greg Powers

Shaheen's NHL source would go on to say that many in the league have little respect for Greg Powers.

"In fact, it is my opinion that Powers is the sole reason that Arizona State has not become the dynamic program that it should be given their school, their location, and their new arena," the source said. "Berry would bring instant credibility to Arizona State and would allow ASU to become a national power in the near future.  It would also allow ASU to truly hold Greg Powers accountable for what happened to Matthew Mayich in August."

If ASU does in fact land Berry, it is almost certainly the end of Greg Powers and Arizona State hockey.