Gophers to Hire St. Cloud State's Brett Larson as New Men's Hockey Head Coach

Minnesota has found the man to replace Bob Motzko as the head coach of its men's hockey program.

St. Cloud State hockey coach Brett Larson speaks September 13 at the National Collegiate Hockey Conference media day at the Xcel Center in St. Paul. | Reid Glenn / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Gophers search for a new men's hockey head coach is over, and they are hiring St. Cloud State's Brett Larson.

BREAKING: The University of Minnesota is set to hire St. Cloud State's Brett Larson as its new men's hockey head coach, per @RussoHockey

He compiled a 153-116-23 record with the Huskies from 2018 to 2026. https://t.co/wOqBzav2Mh pic.twitter.com/6uXb2dpxJc

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) March 24, 2026

Minnesota parted ways with longtime head coach Bob Motzko last Wednesday, and they've found his replacement less than one week later. Larson, 53, was the coach who replaced Motzko at St. Cloud State in 2018. 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.

"I am excited for Brett to lead our men's hockey program and look forward to welcoming him, his wife Kelly, and their children, Lane and Calla, to Minnesota," Gophers AD Mark Coyle said in a release on Tuesday. "Brett brings extensive coaching experience at both the collegiate and international levels, and throughout the process, it became clear that he possesses the leadership, vision, and drive to guide our program. He understands the responsibility that comes with this job and our expectation to compete at the highest level."

In eight seasons as head coach of the Huskies, Larson compiled a record of 153-116-23. They regressed in the last few seasons with a 17-16-5 record in 2023-24, and a 14-21-1 record in 2024-25. They finished this season with a 16-19-1 mark, marking the third straight year they missed the NCAA Tournament. It's easy to point out that things were trending in the wrong direction, but it's also important to point out that St. Cloud State University is doing the same. Coaching the Huskies is a difficult job for anyone in the country.

"It is a tremendous honor to lead this historic program, one that I have great respect for," Larson said in a release on Tuesday. "I am grateful to President Rebecca Cunningham, Director of Athletics Mark Coyle, and everyone involved in the search process for entrusting me with the opportunity to serve as head coach. I have an incredible amount of respect for everyone who has played, coached, and built this program, and I am both humbled and energized to carry that torch forward. This job comes with great responsibility, and I could not be more excited to get to work."

Larson is a native of Duluth, where he played for the UMD Bulldogs. He was long speculated as a candidate for that job if or when longtime head coach Scott Sandelin ever moved on from the program. He has been rumored as a candidate for many other jobs, most notably Wisconsin before the school hired Mike Hastings.

Larson emerged as a serious candidate at Minnesota last Friday, when it was reported that the search was focused on him, Augustana head coach Garrett Raboin and University of Minnesota alum Grant Potulny at the top of the list. Raboin reportedly agreed to an extension to stay with the Vikings, so Larson became an even more likely candidate. Russo reported that Ohio State head coach Steve Rohlik was a potential "mystery candidate" in the search.