Dave Hakstol to Arizona State to be finalized by Thursday morning

Oct. 14—GRAND FORKS — Dave Hakstol is expected to coach his final game with the Colorado Avalanche tonight.Then, the Avs' assistant coach will be on to his next job: head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils.Arizona State has tabbed the former UND captain and head coach to take over for Greg Powers, who has been on paid administrative leave for two weeks as the school probes a workout that left defenseman Matthew Mayich on life support.Multiple sources said the deal will be official soon after tonight's Avalanche-Stars game. An official announcement is expected within the next 20 hours.Hakstol is expected to meet the Sun Devils in Lowell, Mass., on Thursday, where Arizona State will play a two-game series against UMass Lowell.The Avalanche gave Arizona State and Hakstol permission to negotiate earlier this week.According to multiple sources, Hakstol has already begun working on adding an assistant coach as soon as possible.Assistant Mike Corbett served as the team's acting head coach during the first four games of the season, but is not expected to remain with the Sun Devils.The Sun Devils are 2-2, splitting with Lindenwood and Holy Cross.Hakstol coached his alma mater for 11 seasons from 2004-15, leading the program to seven NCAA Frozen Fours.Hakstol last coached at the college level in 2014-15, leading the Fighting Hawks to the Frozen Four in Boston.A month later, he left to become the head coach of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers. He has been in the NHL since then.Hakstol also served as head coach of the Seattle Kraken and held assistant coaching roles with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Avalanche.Hakstol was a Jack Adams Award finalist as the NHL's Coach of the Year in 2023 with Seattle, leading the second-year franchise to within a game of the Western Conference Final.Powers has been Arizona State's head coach since its club hockey days. The Sun Devils kept him at the helm as they made the transition to the Division-I level in 2015.Powers led the Sun Devils to one NCAA tournament appearance (2019).Last season, Arizona State finished last place in the nine-team National Collegiate Hockey Conference.Mayich collapsed on the first day of practice during a military-style workout. He remains in an Arizona hospital on life support.Mayich's family attorney called for the school to put the coaching staff on leave. After more than a month, Arizona State put Powers and associate head coach Alex Hicks on leave.