Grand Forks – Und opened the post of male hockey coach to external candidates for the first time in 31 years.
But after examining the candidates and carried out two cycles of interviews, he landed immediately at the house.
Dane Jackson, assistant of the last 19 years, is expected to become the 17th head coach of the program.
Jackson will replace Brad Berry, who was released Sunday after a decade as a chief coach. Berry’s 10 year race included a national NCAA championship and five penrose cups. Fighting Hawks have missed the NCAA tournament in two of the last three seasons.
Jackson, 54, has been in Und since 2006, when the coach of the time, Dave Hakstol, hired him as assistant.
Jackson refused the opportunity to go to the NHL as an assistant coach and the American Hockey League as a chief coach.
One of these opportunities took place in 2015, when Hakstol left for the flyers of Philadelphia and Berry was appointed head coach the same day. Jackson stayed in Grand Forks and Und won his eighth NCAA national championship this season.
A single coach in the history of the program had a longer race at UND than the 19th birthday of Jackson. Gino Gasparini was at UND for 25 years – nine as an assistant and 16 as a chief coach.
UND coaching search officially started on Monday when work was published online. The window to apply closed at 11:55 p.m. Wednesday.
Und accelerated research because the NCAA transfer portal opens on Sunday for non-graduals.
The UND Human Resources Department projected the candidates on Thursday, then delivered them to the sports director Bill Chaves. Und started Zoom Interviews on Friday. He held a second series of interviews on Saturday morning.
The Fighting Hawks have chosen Jackson, who was strongly supported by players who had played under him in the past 19 seasons.
The other finalists were the coach of Waterloo Black Hawks and former captain of the Und Matt Smaby, West Michigan assistant and former defender of Und Jason Herter and the coach of the under-17 team from Grand Forks Nick Fohr.
Since 1957, UND has not hired a head coach who was not previously assistant to school. It was Rube Bjorkman in 1968. Bjorkman was the only head coach in the UND to finish with a losing record.
Jackson grew up in Castlegar, British Columbia
Jackson came to UND in 1988 as a first -year attacker. He played four years at UND and was an alternative captain as a senior. Jackson scored 59 goals and collected 103 points.
After graduating, Jackson began an 11 -year -old professional player career.
He was captain of three different AHL teams – the Syracuse Crunch, Rochester Americans and Lowell Lock Monsters. He capitalized on a team from Rochester trained by John Tortorella at La Calder Cup in 1996.
Jackson ended his professional career with the AHL Manchester monarchs in 2002-2003. A year later, he jumped in training, as an assistant of Manchester.
In 2005-2006, Jackson obtained his experience of head coach.
He took mid-season for the Adirondack frubs of the United Hockey League after the death coach of the team.
The Frostbit, who belonged to Barry Melrose d’Espn, finished season 25-12-4 under Jackson.
“He entered a very difficult situation,” said Melrose at Herald in 2006. “He managed it as well as anyone could have. If my memory serves me well, the team made a sequence of eight or nine games once he took over. For him to be able to respond in the circumstances they were confronted … It is incredible.”
Jackson returned to campus in 2006.
During his mandate as an assistant, Und won eight championship championships and reached six four NCAA ovens. Und won the 2016 NCAA national championship.
Male hockey coaches of all time
Dane Jackson (2025-Print)
Brad Berry (2015-25)
Dave Hakstol (2004-15)
Dean Blais (1994-04)
Gino Gasparini (1978-94)
Rube Bjorkman (1968-78)
Bill Selman (1966-68)
Bob Peters (1964-66)
Barry Thornycraft (1959-64)
Bob May (1957-1959)
Al Renfrew (1956-57)
Fido Purpur (1949-56)
Don Norman (1947-49)
John Jamieson (1946-47)
Buck Cameron (1935-36)
Noland Franz (1932-33)
Joe Brown (1929-32)
Schlossman has covered university hockey for the Grand Forks Herald since 2005. It was recognized by the sports publishers of Associated Press as the first writer for the Heralding Division of Herald four times and the sports editor of the year of Dakota du Nord twice. It resides in Grand Forks. Join it at bschlossman@gfherald.com.
