Arizona State has parted ways with longtime hockey coach Greg Powers and hired former Seattle Kraken and Philadelphia Flyers coach Dave Hakstol as his replacement, the school announced on Thursday.
Powers was placed on administrative leave late last month following an incident on Aug. 20 in which 21-year-old defenseman Matthew Mayich collapsed during an early-morning outdoor workout. According to the family’s attorney, Rob Carey, Mayich suffered exertional heat stroke. Mayich has remained hospitalized since and is unlikely to recover, according to Carey.
The move comes after seven ASU players sent an anonymous letter on Sept. 28 requesting the removal of the coaching staff pending an independent inquiry. The players expressed concern over retaliation and alleged that Powers failed to grasp the gravity of the situation, claiming he told the team after the ambulance left that they were “working closer to making the Frozen Four” because Mayich had pushed himself to the maximum.
An internal review conducted by the university revealed that the coaching staff failed to submit a training plan for the workout before the event. A broader review led by a former state supreme court justice is ongoing, and the Arizona State Police Department is investigating the incident to submit findings to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
In a statement provided by the university, Powers — who played club hockey for Arizona State in the 1990s and had served as head coach since 2010, when it was a club-hockey team — stated he “mutually agreed to leave” his position and offered continued prayers and support for Mayich and his family. ESPN reported that assistant coaches Alex Hicks and Mike Corbett have also been placed on leave and are no longer with the program, while athletic trainer Amanda Doyle has been reassigned to a different sport.
Hakstol was recently an NHL assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche. He was the head coach at North Dakota for 11 seasons from 2004-15, where he led the program to seven Frozen Four appearances. He was an NHL head coach with Philadelphia and Seattle.
Hakstol will coach the Sun Devils this weekend against UMass Lowell. Former NHL veteran Matt Greene will join his staff as an assistant coach, while current assistant Jimmy Mullin will remain with the team.
Powers signed a five-year contract extension last year.