Given their abundance of young talent, it’d be hard to turn down a coaching opportunity from the Chicago Blackhawks. University of Denver Head Coach David Carle is one of the most highly regarded coaches outside the NHL, and it’d make sense for the Blackhawks to pursue him. He has plenty of experience coaching young talent and has achieved plenty of success. However, Elliotte Friedman reported on social media that Carle has taken himself out of consideration.
“Hearing that David Carle has withdrawn from consideration for the Chicago Blackhawks coaching job,” Friedman posted. “The Blackhawks definitely made an aggressive pursuit.”
Carle was on the path to an NHL playing career when a health condition ended his dreams of playing professionally. After the devastating news, he had committed to Denver, and the school honored his scholarship. They wanted to keep him part of the program, so he was given the assistant coach job, which kick-started an incredible career.
Carle eventually became Jim Montgomery’s assistant coach at Denver before taking over as head coach after Montgomery won the team a National Championship in 2017. Carle was also the head coach of Team USA at the World Junior Championship, where he won gold back-to-back in 2024 and 2025. He also won his first National Championship as a head coach in 2024. It has been an incredible two years for Carle, which explains the NHL’s interest in his services.
Blackhawks offer an incredible opportunity
Carle must feel comfortable with his position at Denver because the Blackhawks would be a perfect first job in the NHL. Chicago offers one of the best prospect pools in the league, and their roster at the end of the season shows that the group is ready to start climbing the standings.
Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, and Artyom Levshunov were all getting regular playing time toward the end of the season, and they’ll also have another top pick at this year’s draft. Carle would’ve been the correct choice, and it’s no surprise Chicago pursued him heavily. If Carle was unwilling to join the Blackhawks, it begs the question whether we’ll ever see him leave the NCAA.
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