Gophers' Search for New Men’s Hockey Coach May Be Down to 3 Names

It was announced on Wednesday that Bob Motzko would not return as the head coach of Gophers men's hockey in 2025-26. The school has immediately begun a "nationwide search," and three candidates have quickly emerged.

The Athletic's Michael Russo reported on Friday that Augustana head coach Garrett Raboin, St. Cloud State head coach Brett Larson, and Hartford Wolf Pack head coach Grant Potulny have interviews lined up this weekend. Sources have told me that the same three names appear to be frontrunners for the job.

University of Minnesota AD Mark Coyle has begun the process to hire a new men’s hockey coach. According to sources, interviews have been lined for this weekend with St. Cloud State coach Brett Larson, Hartford Wolf Pack coach Grant Potulny and Augustana coach Garrett Raboin
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) March 20, 2026

Garrett Raboin, Augustana

Raboin was immediately a name that popped up near the top on everyone's list of potential candidates. He has turned Augustana into an NCAA Tournament contender in just its third season of Division I hockey. He was an assistant under Motzko at St. Cloud State and Minnesota for 10 years, and he's a native of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. He checks a lot of boxes as an obvious candidate.

Grant Potulny, Hartford Wolf Pack

Potulny has been mentioned as a potential option for years since he was hired as the head coach at Northern Michigan before the 2017-18 season. He never broke through to reach the NCAA Tournament in six seasons in Marquette, and he was let go after the 2023-24 season.

He has been the head coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack in the American Hockey League (AHL) since 2024. He was a three-year captain as a player at the University of Minnesota, and he's just 46 years old, so it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that Minnesota is interested.

Brett Larson, St. Cloud State

Larson, 53, is a candidate who was not on many lists when the job opened on Wednesday. He was the coach who replaced Motzko at St. Cloud State in 2018-19. He immediately led the Huskies to the NCAA Tournament in year one. The tournament was canceled in 2019-20 due to COVID-19, and his Huskies proceeded to lose in the national championship in 2020-21, before two more NCAA Tournament appearances.

St. Cloud State has regressed in the last few seasons with 17-16-5 record in 2023-24, and a 14-21-1 record in 2024-25. They finished this season with 16-19-1 mark. It will be the third straight year that they've failed to make the NCAA Tournament. Larson is a native of Duluth, where he played for the UMD Bulldogs.

Other notes

Maine head coach Ben Barr doesn't appear to be near the top of Minnesota's list as of Friday afternoon, but things can change quickly. The Gophers could move quickly in their search with a possible decision as soon as next week.