Skip To Main Content

University of Denver Athletics

University of Denver
24 MAR 2022: The University of Denver takes on the University of Massachusetts Lowell at the Budweiser Event Center in Loveland, CO. Justin Tafoya/Clarkson Creative Photography
Justin Tafoya/Clarkson Creative

Men's Ice Hockey Ron Knabenbauer

David Carle Named a Finalist for Spencer Penrose Award as National Coach of the Year

Denver has led to the Pioneers to their second Frozen Four as the head coach

DENVER – University of Denver hockey head coach David Carle has been named a finalist for the national coach of the year, the American Hockey Coaches Association announced on Tuesday.
 
Carle, 32, is one of eight finalists for the 2021-22 Spencer Penrose Award, which is given annually to the CCM/AHCA Men's Hockey Division I Coach of the Year.
 
The Anchorage, Alaska, native has led the Pioneers to a 29-9-1 record this season and the 2021-22 NCHC's Penrose Cup as regular-season champions with an 18-6-0 mark in conference play. It was DU's first Penrose Cup since 2017 and the program's 14th conference regular-season championship (12 with WCHA, two with NCHC).
 
DU has had three winning streaks of at least five games in length, including two streaks of at least seven outings. This is the first time that Denver has had multiple win streaks of seven or more games since 2005. The Pioneers are heading to their 18th Frozen Four after winning the NCAA West Regional in Loveland, Colorado, last weekend as a No. 1 seed.
 
Carle was also a finalist for the award in 2019 when he led Denver to the Frozen Four in his first season behind the bench. Four Pioneers coaches have won the award previously: Murray Armstrong (1961), Ralph Backstrom (1986), George Gwozdecky (2005), Jim Montgomery (2017).
 
Selected by the nation's 59 NCAA Division I men's head coaches, the AHCA Coach of the Year will be announced on Wednesday, April 6, and the award will be presented on Wednesday, April 20 at the 2022 AHCA Convention at the Naples Grande Hotel in Naples, Florida.
 
UP NEXT: The Pioneers will face fellow No. 1-seed Michigan in the national semifinals of the Frozen Four on Thursday, April 7 in Boston.

DONATE: Fans interested in making a donation to the Pioneers Athletic Fund can do so by clicking here. Your gift will transform the lives of our student-athletes by giving them the first-class resources needed to excel in the classroom and beyond. Thank you for Building Pioneers for Life!
 
Visit DenverPioneers.com for complete coverage of all 18 of DU's NCAA Division I sports
Like Denver Pioneers and Denver Hockey on Facebook
Follow @DU_Pioneers and @DU_Hockey on Twitter
Follow @DenverPioneers and @DU_Hockey on Instagram
 
Print Friendly Version
© 2026 University of Denver Athletics
DU Privacy Policy