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

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

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

Originally posted on Minnesota Golden Gophers on SI
By Tony Liebert | Last updated Mar 24, 2026 10:13 AM ET

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The Gophers search for a new men's hockey head coach is over. They're set to hire St. Cloud State's Brett Larson, according to a report from hockey insider Michael Russo on Tuesday.

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.

In eight seasons as head coach of the Huskies, Larson compiled a record of 153-116-23. They rgressed 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, marking the third straight year they missed the NCAA Tournament. Larson is a native of Duluth, where he played for the UMD Bulldogs.

This is a developing story.

This article first appeared on Minnesota Golden Gophers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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