Minnesota State’s Mike Hastings Repeats As CCM/AHCA Division I Men’s Coach of the Year

Third Spencer Penrose Award for Mavericks’ Coach Since 2015

For leading Minnesota State University into the 2022 Frozen Four, Mike Hastings has once again been chosen as the recipient of the Spencer Penrose Award as Division I Men’s Ice Hockey CCM/AHCA Coach of the Year by his peers. The honor is the third for Hastings, and his second consecutive selection. He joins only three other coaches who have won this award three times: Len Ceglarski, at both Clarkson and Boston College, Charlie Holt of New Hampshire and Jack Parker of Boston University

The 2021-22 Mavericks bring a 37-5 record into Thursday’s semifinal game (8:30 p.m. ET) against the University of Minnesota as they look for their first national championship. It is the only missing piece on the Hastings resume.

It wasn’t easy to get to Boston. The Mavericks’ last three wins were nailbiters: 2-1 in OT over Bemidji State to capture the CCHA Tournament, 4-3 over Harvard to open the NCAA Regionals in Albany, and finally a 1-0 thriller over Notre Dame to reach the Frozen Four.

In less than a decade, Hastings has propelled the MSU program into a conference and national power. The Mavericks have played in seven NCAA tournaments, reaching the heights of the Frozen Four in 2021 and 2022. And the MacNaughton Cup has practically found a permanent home in the team’s downtown Mankato facility over that span. It should come as no surprise. After all, Hastings has never experienced a losing season as a head coach at any level.

Hastings and his Minnesota State teams have won more games over the last ten years than any other program in the country. Over that time, the Mavericks have racked up a record of 273-94-24 for a national-best .727 winning percentage. Inheriting a program that reached 20 victories just twice in its first 16 seasons as a Division I program, Hastings truly changed the culture at Minnesota State and turned the Mavericks into a consistent winner. Not only have his Mavericks won no fewer than 21 games in any of his 10 seasons, but they hit the 30-victory plateau three times, including this yearr where they’ve won a school-record 37 games.

In Hastings’ time at Minnesota State, the Mavericks have hoisted the MacNaughton Cup seven times in eight years (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022) and have captured four league postseason tournament titles (2014, 2015, 2019, 2022). Qualifying for the NCAA tournament appearances seven times (2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022), Minnesota State would have qualified for a eighth if not for the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, which prematurely shut down one of best seasons in team history.

The fourth coach in the history of the Maverick men’s hockey program, Hastings arrived at Minnesota State following a three-year stint as the associate head coach at Nebraska-Omaha. He also served as an assistant coach with the men’s hockey program at the University of Minnesota for one season and before that had a 14-year run as head coach of Omaha of the United States Hockey League. He left the USHL as the league’s all-time winningest coach, compiling a 529-210-56 record with the Lancers, never had a losing season and led Omaha to three Clark Cup titles as the USHL’s play-off champions. He was named USHL Coach of the Year three times and as the team’s general manager, earned league GM of the Year honors five times.

Hastings was an assistant coach for the U.S. national junior team at the 2003 and 2005 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships and served twice as head coach for the U.S. junior select team that competed in the Viking Cup, earning gold medal honors in 2000.

A 1993 graduate of St. Cloud State, Hastings played two years for the Huskies (1986-87 and 1987-88) before a back injury ended his career. Assisting Hastings this season were Todd Knott and Paul Kirtland.. The runner-up for this year’s Spencer Penrose Award was Bob Motzko of the University of Minnesota.

CCMThe CCM AHCA COACH of the YEAR AWARDS are sponsored by CCM HOCKEY and chosen by members of the AMERICAN HOCKEY COACHES ASSOCIATION. CCM is the legendary hockey brand dedicated to the endless pursuit of performance by delivering game-changing, head-to-toe innovative hockey equipment to players worldwide.

Winners of the Spencer Penrose Award
CCM/AHCA Division I Men's Coach of the Year
1951 Edward Jeremiah, Dartmouth
1952 Cheddy Thompson, Colorado College
1953 John Mariucci, Minnesota
1954 Vic Heyliger, Michigan
1955 Ralph "Cooney" Weiland, Harvard
1956 William Harrison, Clarkson
1957 Jack Riley, Army
1958 Harry Cleverly, Boston University
1959 John "Snooks" Kelley, Boston College
1960 Jack Riley, Army
1961 Murray Armstrong, Denver
1962 Jack Kelley, Colby
1963 Tony Frasca, Colorado College
1964 Tom Eccleston, Jr., Providence
1965 Jim Fullerton, Brown
1966 Amo Bessone, Michigan State
Len Ceglarski, Clarkson
1967 Edward Jeremiah, Dartmouth
1968 Ned Harkness, Cornell
1969 Charlie Holt, New Hampshire
1970 John Maclnnes, Michigan Tech
1971 Ralph "Cooney" Weiland, Harvard
1972 John "Snooks" Kelley, Boston College
1973 Len Ceglarski, Boston College
1974 Charlie Holt, New Hampshire
1975 Jack Parker, Boston University
1976 John Maclnnes, Michigan Tech
1977 Jerry York, Clarkson
1978 Jack Parker, Boston University
1979 Charlie Holt, New Hampshire
1980 Rick Comley, Northern Michigan
1981 Bill O'Flaherty, Clarkson
1982 Ferny Flaman, Northeastern
1983 Bill Cleary, Harvard
1984 Mike Sertich, Minnesota-Duluth
1985 Len Ceglarski, Boston College
1986 Ralph Backstrom, Denver
1987 John "Gino" Gasparini, North Dakota
1988 Frank Anzalone, Lake Superior
1989 Joe Marsh, St. Lawrence
1990 Terry Slater, Colgate
1991 Rick Comley, Northern Michigan
1992 Ron Mason, Michigan State
1993 George Gwozdecky, Miami
1994 Don Lucia, Colorado College
1995 Shawn Walsh, Maine
1996 Bruce Crowder, UMass Lowell
1997 Dean Blais, North Dakota
1998 Tim Taylor, Yale
1999 Richard Umile, New Hampshire
2000 Joe Marsh, St. Lawrence
2001 Dean Blais, North Dakota
2002 Tim Whitehead, Maine
2003 Bob Daniels, Ferris State
2004 Scott Sandelin, Minnesota-Duluth
2005 George Gwozdecky, Denver
2006 Enrico Blasi, Miami
2007 Jeff Jackson, Notre Dame
2008 Red Berenson, Michigan
2009 Jack Parker, Boston University
2010 Wayne Wilson, RIT
2011 Nate Leaman, Union
2012 Bob Daniels, Ferris State
2013 Norm Bazin, UMass Lowell
2014 Rick Bennett, Union
2015 Mike Hastings, Minnesota State
2016 Rand Pecknold, Quinnipiac
2017 Jim Montgomery, Denver
2018 Jeff Jackson, Notre Dame
2019 Greg Carvel, Massachusetts
2020 Brad Berry, North Dakota
Mike Schafer, Cornell
2021 Mike Hastings, Minnesota State
2022 Mike Hastings, Minnesota State