Minnesota State Mankato hired Ohio State assistant coach Luke Strand as its new men's hockey head coach, replacing Mike Hastings, the Mavericks announced Monday.
Minnesota State Mankato hires Luke Strand to replace Mike Hastings as men's hockey coach
Strand worked as an assistant coach for Ohio State last season and before that was head coach of the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers.
April 10, 2023 at 2:43PM
Before working at Ohio State, Strand was the head coach for five seasons with the Sioux City in the USHL, leading the Musketeers to the Clark Cup title in 2022, when they went 41-16.
Hastings turned Minnesota State into one of the top programs in the country before leaving for Wisconsin last month. The Mavericks offered the head job to longtime assistant Todd Knott, but he turned it down before they hired Strand.
"Luke is well-connected across the game and has a wide array of valuable experiences," Mavericks athletic director Kevin Buisman said in the news release. "Through our extensive conversations, I am confident that he is committed to operating a program on and off the ice that will make all those who support Maverick hockey very proud."
Two offensive linemen from Lakeville, Bryce Benhart and Riley Mahlman, are standouts for Big Ten rivals of Minnesota.
