Wisconsin hockey assistant becomes 2nd-youngest head coach
One of head coach Mike Hastings's assistants is departing the Wisconsin Badgers to lead his alma mater
Madison, WI — A college hockey offseason is plenty eventful for a head coach. In the coming weeks, Mike Hastings will learn exactly how many roster holes he needs to fill as players make decisions on whether to turn pro, enter the transfer portal, or return to Madison. Already, Wisconsin men’s hockey has a spot to fill behind the bench.
Wisconsin Badgers assistant Nick Oliver is departing his role as an assistant coach at UW to lead his alma mater. The former St. Cloud State Huskies captain has been with the Badgers since Hastings arrived in Madison.
When hiring Oliver three years ago, Hastings said “Nick has earned the reputation as one of the best young coaches in our game through his work ethic and ability to develop meaningful relationships with his players.”
Now, the 34-year-old is the second-youngest head coach of any NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey program.
St. Cloud Huskies hire Wisconsin hockey assistant Nick Oliver
Less than 24 hours after his season ended at Wisconsin with a loss in the national title game, St. Cloud announced its hire of Oliver. The assistant who wore the earpiece behind Wisconsin’s bench to communicate with the Badgers video review team will be formally introduced as the Huskies head coach in a Monday press conference.
“I’m humbled and honored for the opportunity to be the next head coach of St. Cloud State Men’s Hockey,” Oliver said in a statement. “I appreciate the support of President Tomso, Director of Athletics Holly Schreiner and the entire search committee for putting their trust in me. I’m excited to start the process of building relationships and connecting with our current and incoming players. We have tremendous alumni and supporters of the program that I look forward to speaking with. My family and I couldn’t be more excited to call St. Cloud home again.”
Oliver played four seasons for the Huskies beginning in 2011, serving as captain in his final season. After concluding his collegiate playing career, he immediately joined the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL where he spent three seasons as an assistant coach and director of scouting.
The Minnesota native returned to St. Cloud where he spent four seasons as an assistant under former SCSU head coach Brett Larson. Larson departed St. Cloud this offseason to take the Minnesota Golden Gophers head coaching gig.
Between his assistant coaching stints with the Huskies and Badgers, Oliver spent his sole season as a head coach at any level with the USHL’s Fargo Force. In that 2022-23 campaign, he led the Force to a regular-season championship and was named the USHL Coach of the Year.
Long Island Sharks head coach Brendan Riley is the only head coach currently younger than Oliver at the helm of a DI men’s ice hockey program.
This story has been updated.
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