Carle guides Denver to 2022 national crown, garners USCHO.com coach of the year accolades

David Carle took DU to a national title in his fourth season behind the Pioneers’ bench (photo: Justin Tafoya/Clarkson Creative).

In leading Denver to the 2022 national championship, David Carle has been named the 2021-22 USCHO.com coach of the year.

The 32-year-old Carle was also one of eight finalists for the 2021-22 Spencer Penrose Award, given annually to the national coach of the year.

Carle led the Pioneers to a 31-9-1 record this season and the Penrose Cup as NCHC regular-season champions with an 18-6-0 mark in conference play. It was DU’s first national title since 2017, first Penrose Cup since 2017 and the program’s 14th conference regular-season championship (12 with WCHA, two with NCHC).

DU has had three winning streaks of at least five games in length, including two streaks of at least seven outings. This is the first time that Denver has had multiple win streaks of seven or more games since 2005. The Pioneers won the NCAA West Regional in Loveland, Colo., as a No. 1 seed.

Overall in four seasons behind the Pioneers’ bench, Carle is 86-43-13 (49-36-9 NCHC).

Later today, the 2021-22 USCHO.com rookie of the year will be announced while the player of the year will be announced Friday.