The St. Cloud State Huskies men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents St. Cloud State University. The Huskies are a member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. They play at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
History
Formation and war years St. Cloud State Teachers College founded its varsity ice hockey program in 1931, joining several other Minnesota-based schools. After an expectedly poor first season, St. Cloud began dominating their competition under Ludwig Andolsek, the team's second head coach. During the third year, a freshman named Frank Brimsek served as the team's starter. Brimsek was so spectacular in goal that he left after just one season and began a professional career, a rarity for college players at the time. While Brimsek would go on to have a Hall of Fame career, the Huskies didn't appear to miss him and went 25–2 in 1935, posting the best record in the nation. However, because only one of their games was played against a fellow institution, the Huskies weren't considered for the intercollegiate championship.
Andolsek left after his third season and the team struggled in his absence. In the seven years that followed, the team hovered around .500 and were relegated to secondary status. In 1942, due to the United States entry into World War II, St. Cloud suspended many of its athletic programs, which included the ice hockey team. The program was restarted after the war and saw some success, however, because the program was not a member of any conference, the Huskies were occasionally hamstrung by a lack of playing time.
Wink and Basch In 1956, after changing head coaches five times in ten years, the team hired Jack Wink. The new bench boss stabilized the program and led the Huskies to stellar records in the early 1960s. The team finished the 1962 season undefeated but, as had happened a decade earlier, a reduced schedule following those highs caused the team to fall on hard times by the latter part of the decade. After successive 1-win seasons, Wink was replaced by Charlie Basch who began a rebuild of the program.
Basch took almost twice as long as Wink had to turn the Huskies into consistent winners. Once he did, however, he was able to keep them at the top of their game for much longer. In 1978, the NCAA began sponsoring a Division II tournament. Because St. Cloud was one of the few western teams that did not participate in the NAIA Championship, they were invited to participate in a Western Championship Tournament, which would determine which two teams received bids. St. Cloud State played in the WCT for the first four years of its existence, unfortunately they were never able to win a single match and never received an invitation to the actual tournament.
In 1980, the Huskies finally ended their long run as an independent and helped found the NCHA. Poor results in conference play prevented the team from having a chance at an NCAA bid, a trend that continued as almost all Division II programs dropped down to Division III in 1984.
Swift climb to D-I John Perpich took over for Basch in 1984 and led the team through two mediocre seasons before the athletic department decided to raise the profile of the program. Perpich stepped aside and allowed legendary Minnesota coach Herb Brooks to take over in 1986. News of the move spurred several prospects to join the program, including NHL draft picks Tony Schmalzbauer and Shorty Forrest. The Huskies went on to win the program's first conference title (tied) and the first conference tournament ever played by the NCHA. Brooks' team was one of the favorites for the national championship despite being a debutant but they were stymied by Oswego State and ended up 3rd in 1987.
Brooks left after the year to return to the NHL, but his time with the team had been a success. The following year, St. Cloud promoted the program to Division I, with Brooks' assistant Craig Dahl taking over. The Huskies continued their rapid ascent with a winning record in 1989 and, due in part to the NCAA's policy of including a non-tradition team in the tournament at the time, St. Cloud made its first appearance in the D-I tournament in 1989.
WCHA After three years as an independent, St. Cloud joined the WCHA in 1990. Widely regarded as the best conference at the time, the WCHA made it difficult for St. Cloud to compete for a further NCAA bid. In spite of the tough opposition, the Huskies thrived in their new conference and routinely finished in the top half of the standings. There were several near-misses for championships and tournament bids but, at the end of the 20th century, the Huskies finally returned to the national tournament. In three consecutive years, St. Cloud made the NCAA tournament but lost each game they played. The program then declined for a few years and Dahl stepped down after the 2005 season.
Bob Motzko, an alumnus of the team, took over and swiftly turned the team's fortunes. In his first five seasons he led the Huskies to two WCHA championship games. Though the team lost both, the Huskies got their first win in NCAA tournament play. Three years later, Motzko led the team to its first WCHA regular season title and led the Huskies to the Frozen Four.
NCHC After the deep playoff run, St. Cloud State joined with seven other schools to form the NCHC in response to the Big Ten Conference joining the ice hockey ranks. The new league was built around traditional powerhouses and the Huskies looked right at home, winning the inaugural regular season title. Under Motzko, St. Cloud continued as one of the top teams in the conference, receiving 4 NCAA bids over a five-year span. In 2018, St. Cloud was the #1 team in the nation as it began the tournament but were upset in the first game by Air force.
Motzko left after the year to take over at in-state rival Minnesota and he was replaced by Brett Larson. The Huskies only seemed to get better under their new coach and were again the top-seeded team in 2019. Despite dominating play for most of their opening match, the Huskies were again felled by the lowest-seeded team. After a down year that was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Cloud returned with a strong 2021 and reached the championship game for the first time in its history.
Season-by-season results
Source:
Records vs. current NCHC teams As of the completion of the 2025–26 season School Team Away Arena Overall record Win % Last Result 5–2–0 4-3 W 68–55–9 1-4 L 55–63–7 0-6 L 37–22–6 1-3 L 85–71–11 1-2 OTL 31–21–4 2-1 W 49–86–20 7–3–0 1-3 L 26–20–5 5-1 W
Head coaches As of the completion of the 2025–26 season Tenure Coach Years Record Pct. 1931–1932 Ralph Theisen 1 1–7–0 1932–1935 Ludwig Andolsek 3 42–4–1 1935–1936 Robert DePaul 1 6–5–0 1936–1937 Walter Gerzin 1 5–5–0 1937–1938 Benedict Vandell 1 4–4–0 1938–1942 George Lynch 4 20–15–2 1946–1950, 1951–1952 Roland Vandell 5 39–25–2 1950–1951 Ray Gasperline 1 5–3–0 1952–1953 George Martin 1 8–3–0 1953–1954 Brendan McDonald 1 2–2–0 1954–1956 Jim Baxter 2 18–4–1 1956–1968 Jack Wink 12 69–69–2 1968–1984 Charlie Basch 16 181–193–7 1984–1986 John Perpich 2 30–24–4 1986–1987 Herb Brooks 1 25–10–1 1987–2005 Craig Dahl 18 338–309–52 2005–2018 Bob Motzko 13 276–192–49 2018–2026 Brett Larson 8 153–116–23 2026–present Nick Oliver 1 0–0–0 Totals 19 coaches 91 seasons 1,222–989–144
Players
Current roster As of August 13, 2025.
Statistical leaders Source:
Career points leaders Player Years GP G A Pts PIM 2006–2010 161 79 104 183 98 1988–1992 148 78 101 179 130 2007–2011 156 65 113 178 240 1988–1992 144 73 99 172 147 1999–2002 119 86 79 165 84 2012–2016 157 48 105 153 71 2008–2013 171 42 105 147 64 1984–1987 76 70 146 1980–1984 76 69 145 1999–2003 154 52 90 142 201
Career goaltending leaders
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
Minimum 30 games Player Years GP Min W L T GA SO SV% GAA 2013–2016 88 4891 51 29 3 180 8 .921 2.21 2005–2007 73 4412 37 24 11 165 6 .924 2.24 2019–2023 42 2221 20 16 1 88 4 .910 2.38 1996–2001 80 4585 47 22 5 182 9 .919 2.38 2017–2022 146 8370 82 44 14 335 14 .910 2.40 Statistics current through the end of the 2023-24 season.
Awards and honors
Hockey Hall of Fame Source:
Frank Brimsek (1966) Herb Brooks (2006)
United States Hockey Hall of Fame Source:
Frank Brimsek (1973) Herb Brooks (1990)
NCAA Individual awards
Hobey Baker Award Drew LeBlanc: 2013
Tim Taylor Award Andreas Nödl: 2007
All-Americans AHCA First Team All-Americans
2001–02: Mark Hartigan, F 2012–13: Nick Jensen, D; Drew LeBlanc, F 2013–14: Nic Dowd, F 2016–17: Charlie Lindgren, G; Ethan Prow, D 2017–18: Jimmy Schuldt, D 2018–19: Jimmy Schuldt, D; Patrick Newell, F
AHCA Second Team All-Americans
1992–93: Fred Knipscheer, F 1996–97: Mark Parrish, F 1999–00: Mike Pudlick, D 2000–01: Scott Meyer, G 2005–06: Bobby Goepfert, G 2006–07: Bobby Goepfert, G 2007–08: Ryan Lasch, F 2018–19: Jack Ahcan, D; Blake Lizotte, F 2023–24: Dylan Anhorn, D
WCHA Individual awards
Player of the Year Mark Hartigan: 2002 Drew LeBlanc: 2013
Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year Kyle McLaughlin: 1999 Drew LeBlanc: 2013
Defensive Player of the Year Nick Jensen: 2013
Freshman of the Year Andreas Nödl: 2007
Coach of the Year Craig Dahl: 1998 Bob Motzko: 2006, 2007
Most Valuable Player in tournament Tyler Arnason: 2001
All-Conference Teams First Team All-WCHA
1990-91: Bret Hedican, D 1992-93: Fred Knipscheer, F 1999-00: Mike Pudlick, D 2000-01: Scott Meyer, G 2001-02: Mark Hartigan, F 2005-06: Bobby Goepfert, G 2006-07: Bobby Goepfert, G; Andrew Gordon, F 2007-08: Ryan Lasch, F 2008-09: Ryan Lasch, F 2012-13: Nick Jensen, D; Drew LeBlanc, F
Second Team All-WCHA
1993-94: Kelly Hultgren, D 1994-95: Kelly Hultgren, D 1996-97: Dave Paradise, F; Matt Cullen, F 1997-98: Brian Leitza, G 1999-00: Scott Meyer, G; Tyler Arnason, F 2000-01: Duvie Wescott, D 2001-02: Dean Weasler, G; Nate DiCasmirro, F 2007-08: Andreas Nödl, F; Garrett Roe, F 2008-09: Garrett Raboin, D 2009-10: Ryan Lasch, F
Third Team All-WCHA
1995–96: Taj Melson, F 1996–97: Sacha Molin, F 1997–98: Josh DeWolf, F 2000–01: Mark Hartigan, F; Brandon Sampair, F 2006–07: Andreas Nödl, F 2008–09: Garrett Roe, F 2009–10: Dan Dunn, G; Garrett Raboin, D; Garrett Roe, F 2010–11: Drew LeBlanc, F 2011–12: Nick Jensen, D
All-WCHA Rookie Team
1991–92: Sandy Gasseau, F 1994–95: Brian Leitza, G 1995–96: Matt Cullen, F 1998–99: Tyler Arnason, F 2001–02: Matt Gens, D; Mike Doyle, F; Peter Szabo, F 2006–07: Andreas Nödl, F; Ryan Lasch, F 2007–08: Garrett Roe, F 2011–12: Andrew Prochno, D
NCHC Individual awards
Player of the Year Ethan Prow; 2016 Jimmy Schuldt; 2019
Rookie of the Year Veeti Miettinen; 2021
Goaltender of the Year Charlie Lindgren; 2016
Forward of the Year Patrick Newell; 2019
Defensive Forward of the Year Nic Dowd; 2014 Jami Krannila; 2023
Defenseman of the Year Ethan Prow; 2016
Defensive Defenseman of the Year Will Borgen; 2018 Jimmy Schuldt; 2019
Offensive Defenseman of the Year Ethan Prow; 2016
Scholar-Athlete of the Year Nic Dowd; 2014
Sportsmanship Award Nick Oliver; 2015 Patrick Newell; 2019 Kevin Fitzgerald; 2021 Spencer Meier; 2023
Herb Brooks Coach of the Year Bob Motzko; 2014, 2018 Brett Larson; 2019
Frozen Faceoff MVP Mikey Eyssimont; 2016 Jami Krannila; 2023
All-Conference Teams First Team All-NCHC
2013–14: Nic Dowd, F 2014–15: Jonny Brodzinski, F 2015–16: Charlie Lindgren, G; Ethan Prow, D 2017–18: Jimmy Schuldt, D 2018–19: Jimmy Schuldt, D; Patrick Newell, F; Ryan Poehling, F; Blake Lizotte, F 2021–22: Nick Perbix, D 2022–23: Jami Krannila, F 2023–24: Dylan Anhorn, D
Second Team All-NCHC
2013–14: Ryan Faragher, G 2015–16: Joey Benik, F; Kalle Kossila, F 2017–18: Mikey Eyssimont, F 2018–19: Dávid Hrenák, G; Jack Ahcan, D