COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Two National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) head coaches have been named finalists for the 2026 Spencer Penrose Award, as the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) revealed the names on Tuesday. Denver head coach David Carle and North Dakota head coach Dane Jackson are among 10 up for CCM/AHCA Division I Men’s National Ice Hockey Coach of the Year.
 
The 10 finalists represent any coach who won Coach of the Year honors in his conference this past season, as well as coaches whose teams have advanced to the 2026 NCAA Frozen Four. Jackson is the only coach to achieve both accolades this season, earning NCHC Herb Brooks Coach of the Year, while also leading the Fighting Hawks to their first Frozen Four since 2016. Only one of this year's finalists is a past recipient of the Spencer Penrose Award in current Wisconsin head coach Mike Hastings, who won it while at Minnesota State.
 
Carle is a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award for the third straight season and fifth time since taking over the helm at Denver in 2018 (2019, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026). The native of Anchorage, Alaska led the Pioneers back to the Frozen Four for the third consecutive campaign and fourth time in five years, while incorporating 10 freshmen into the team, including a goaltender change mid-season. DU defeated Cornell and NCHC rival Western Michigan in the Loveland Regional last weekend by a combined score of 11-2, while earning the program’s 21st Frozen Four berth in front of its fans in Colorado.
 
Carle also guided the Pioneers to the 2026 NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship, DU’s second NCHC Tournament title in three years. The Pios swept Miami in the quarterfinals, then knocked off WMU in the semifinals and Minnesota Duluth in the final in double overtime, all on home ice, to capture the National Cup. Under Carle’s guidance, DU finished as the runner-up in the NCHC regular season, trailing North Dakota for the Penrose Cup by only three points, while going 17-6-1 in conference play. Overall, the third-ranked Pioneers have compiled a 27-11-3 record this season and head to Las Vegas for the Frozen Four riding an 11-game winning streak and 15-game unbeaten streak (14-0-1).
 
In his first season in charge of his alma mater, Jackson led North Dakota to the Penrose Cup as NCHC regular-season champions, NoDak’s seventh Penrose Cup in program history and first since 2024. UND posted a 17-6-1 record in conference play, losing only twice in regulation in 24 games. For his work, Jackson was selected the NCHC Herb Brooks Coach of the Year. The Castlegar, British Columbia native also helped UND freshmen earn four of six spots on the 2025-26 NCHC All-Rookie Team, including NCHC Rookie of the Year Cole Reschny, while the Fighting Hawks led all NCHC teams with five All-Conference selections this year.
 
In addition, Jackson, who spent the last 19 years as an assistant or associate coach behind the UND bench, guided North Dakota to its first Frozen Four since 2016 after winning the Sioux Falls Region last weekend. UND did not allow a goal all weekend in the regional, shutting out both Merrimack and Quinnipiac to move on to Las Vegas for the program’s 23rd Frozen Four appearance. It marked the first time North Dakota has recorded back-to-back shutouts in the NCAA Tournament in program history. Overall, the Fighting Hawks have compiled a 29-9-1 record this season, including only five losses in regulation, while their 27 regulation wins lead the country.
 
Both Carle and Jackson lead their team into the Frozen Four semifinals on Thursday, April 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. UND faces Wisconsin in the first game, followed by Denver taking on Michigan.
 
Selected by the nation's 63 NCAA Division I men’s head coaches, the winner of the Penrose Award will be announced on Tuesday, April 7. The award will be presented in person on Wednesday, April 29 at the 2026 AHCA Convention at the Hyatt Coconut Point Resort in Bonita Springs, Fla.
 
The Spencer Penrose Award is named in memory of the Colorado Springs benefactor who built the Broadmoor Hotel Complex, site of the first 10 NCAA championship hockey tournaments. The NCHC’s regular-season trophy, the Julie and Spencer Penrose Memorial Cup, is named after the same benefactor and was won by Jackson and North Dakota this year.
 
Carle and Jackson are looking to become the fourth NCHC head coach to win the Spencer Penrose Award and second straight after Western Michigan head coach Pat Ferschweiler earned the honor last year. Former North Dakota head coach Brad Berry shared the honor in 2020, while current St. Louis Blues head coach Jim Montgomery won the award with Denver in 2017.
 
The CCM/AHCA Coach of the Year Award is sponsored by CCM Hockey and chosen by members of the AHCA.
 
2025-26 AHCA Spencer Penrose Award Finalists

• David Carle, University of Denver, NCAA Semifinalist
• Reid Cashman, Dartmouth College, ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year
• Mike Hastings, University of Wisconsin, NCAA Semifinalist
• Dane Jackson, University of North Dakota, NCHC Coach of the Year and NCAA Semifinalist
• Andy Jones, Bentley University, AHA Coach of the Year
• Erik Largen, University of Alaska, NCAA Independent Coach of the Year
• Nate Leaman, Providence College, Hockey East Coach of the Year
• Brandon Naurato, University of Michigan, NCAA Semifinalist
• Adam Nightingale, Michigan State University, Big Ten Coach of the Year
• Luke Strand, Minnesota State University, CCHA Coach of the Year