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Gophers hire Brett Larson as new men’s hockey coach
The Minnesota Gophers have hired Brett Larson as their new head coach for men’s hockey, replacing Bob Motzko. Larson is stepping down from his head coaching position at St. Cloud State University.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - St. Cloud State head coach Brett Larson has been tabbed to replace Bob Motzko as the next University of Minnesota men's hockey coach.
Gophers Athletic Director Mark Coyle made the announcement official Tuesday morning. He and Motzko agreed to part ways last week after eight seasons. Minnesota won just 11 games in 2025-26, and failed to reach the NCAA Tournament.
Minnesota Gophers next head coach
The backstory:
Larson has been with St. Cloud State University for eight years and has built the team into a true Division I contender. Under his reign, he has led the Huskies to four NCAA appearances and two conference championships and a National Championship appearance. The team struggled this year, finishing just 16-19-1 and missing the NCAA tournament in 2021.
With the Huskies, he has a career record of 153-116-23, the fourth-most wins in program history.
Larson's hire is pending the completion of a background check and Regents approval.
Assistant coach Brett Larson of Team USA handles bench duties in the first period against Team Canada of the Group A match during the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship at Canadian Tire Centre on December 31, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Team US … (Getty Images)
What's next:
Coyle will introduce Larson as the next Gophers' men's hockey coach at a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
Dig deeper:
Prior to St. Cloud State, Larson served as an assistant with the University of Minnesota-Duluth and head coach and general manager for the Sioux City Musketeers in the USHL.
Larson is a Duluth native and played college hockey for Duluth. He played professionally for the Detroit Red Wings.
Big picture view:
The university announced last week changes in both hockey programs, moving on from both Bob Motzko as head coach of its men's program and Brad Frost for its women's team.
Speaking on Monday, as the University of Minnesota introduced Greg May as the new head coach of the women's squad, Athletic Director Mark Coyle explained that change was needed for the men's hockey team.
"We kept talking about what was the best long-term decision for Gopher hockey," explained Coyle, recalling his conversation with Motzko. "And we had an open and honest conversation and as that conversation went on, and we talked about it for a day or two, I think we both realized that the best long term decision was for him to step down and for us to go in a new direction."