Brett Larson 'Definitely' Looking to Add GM-Type Role to Gophers Staff

Gophers men's hockey officially introduced Brett Larson as its new head coach on Tuesday. Building his first coaching staff is near the top of his to-do list, and that could include someone in a general manager-type role.

Player compensation and immediate transfer rules have completely transformed roster construction at the college level. Numerous football and basketball programs have hired a GM, and it feels like a no-brainer for a college hockey program of Minnesota's stature to do the same. Larson was asked about the idea at his introductory press conference on Tuesday.

"It's interesting because that GM role, it's a name of a role. Technically, they're still just one of your assistant coaches," he said. "I think back in the day, we used to call it a recruiting coordinator when one of your three assistants is really focused on recruiting the most. What I am going to do is meet with the staff. I think I have a pretty good feeling of whose strengths are where, and where they lie. And then what we'll do is put the people in the right spots."

New Gophers HC Brett Larson was asked whether or not he plans to add a GM to his first coaching staff.

“Definitely looking at something like that.”

Worth the listen. 👇👇 pic.twitter.com/P763HnOrQO
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) March 24, 2026

"[I] am definitely looking at something like that. I am not sure we'll use that exact title, but we will definitely have someone whose priority is recruiting... Recruiting is critical... It's the lifeline of the program; it has got to be a team effort. The coach has to be very involved. So for me, it's going to be the priority No. 1 here, starting a few minutes ago."

Paul Martin has been on the Gophers' coaching staff for the past six seasons, three of which have been under the director of player development title. If Larson intends to find his GM-type role on the current staff, Martin would probably be the obvious choice.

Other assistants on last year's staff included associate head coach Steve Miller, assistant coaches Ben Gordon and Brennan Poderzay, along with director of operations Jacob LeRoy.

Whether or not Larson intends to make an entirely new staff, retain the previous one, or a mixture of both options remains to be seen. One name that continues to be floated around as a potential outside hire is former NHL veteran and Moorhead High School assistant Matt Cullen.

NCAAM

Rumor mill hearing that when and if Brett Larson is named HC at the U of M, he will tab former Gopher Cory Laylin and Matt Cullen as two of his assistant coaches.

Laylin is an assistant at UST
Cullen's resume as a hockey mind, builder of talent and winner is unmatched pic.twitter.com/bN3ScxWdtv
— YHH (@YouthHockeyHub) March 24, 2026

He makes a lot of sense to fill the GM-type role due to his connections across the state and all the way up to the big leagues. Most notably, two of his sons, Brooks and Wyatt Cullen, are currently committed to the program, and they're rumored to make the jump to the NCAA as soon as the 2026-27 season.

Cullen has been an assistant coach at Moorhead High School, and he has helped lead the Spuds to back-to-back Class AA state championships. His youngest son, Joey, just had 40 points (19 goals and 21 assists) in 18 games for Moorhead as a 15-year-old, and he might be the most talented of the bunch.