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Arizona State University announced Thursday that it has parted ways with longtime hockey coach Greg Powers by mutual agreement, nearly two months after a preseason workout left 21-year-old sophomore Matthew Mayich on life support. The program also named Dave Hakstol as Powers’s successor.
What led to the change
Powers had been placed on administrative leave in September following the Aug. 20 workout that triggered widespread concern within the program. The incident prompted calls from players and Mayich’s family for an independent review, and both state and federal lawmakers have taken an interest.
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ASU confirmed it opened an independent investigation earlier this month into the military-style session. The team has continued to compete amid the personnel disruptions, missing key players and coaches while the probe moves forward.
Terms of the departure
A university spokesperson told Front Office Sports that Powers neither resigned nor was fired for cause, and that the school and Powers reached a financial agreement without disclosing details. Last November ASU had extended Powers’s contract for three years, a deal that carried his role through 2030.
University filings obtained by Sportico show Powers’s total compensation for the 2024–25 season — including salary, benefits and bonuses — was $503,680. The contract had been supported by a major gift from boosters Mike and Nancy Friend and established the university’s first endowed coaching position.
The athletic department released a statement thanking Powers for nearly two decades of work building ASU into a Division I hockey program.
Response from Mayich’s family and Powers
Mayich’s family said they do not view the matter as resolved. In a statement they called the separation “more like a negotiated agreement than accountability,” and urged that “Justice Bales’s investigation must continue with its full scope, covering everyone involved in that morning’s workout and in approving it, and its findings must be made public.”
Powers issued his own comments expressing hope for “strength and healing for Matthew and his family” and urging continued support for Sun Devil Hockey. He also pledged his backing for the incoming staff as the program moves forward.
New leadership: Dave Hakstol
Hakstol arrives with a long coaching résumé. He spent 11 seasons as head coach at the University of North Dakota before a roughly decade-long career in the NHL, which included head-coaching roles with the Philadelphia Flyers and the Seattle Kraken. His most recent post was assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche.
ASU athletic director Graham Rossini highlighted Hakstol’s track record developing players and building competitive programs, calling his experience at both the collegiate and NHL levels an asset for the Sun Devils.
