St. Cloud State Men’s Hockey Head Coach Brett Larson Resigns, accepts job at Minnesota
3/24/2026 10:30:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Larson led Huskies to four NCAA Tournament appearances and 2021 NCAA Championship game
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Men's Hockey head coach Brett Larson announced his resignation to accept the head coach position at Minnesota. In eight seasons as head coach, Larson led the Huskies to four NCAA Tournament appearances, two conference championships and the team's first-ever NCAA National Championship game appearance in 2021.
A national search for the program's next head coach will commence immediately.
"Brett Larson has been an exceptional leader at St. Cloud University, both on and off the ice," said Director of Athletics Holly Schreiner. "His commitment to our student-athletes, our campus, and our community has elevated our program in so many ways. We are grateful for the passion and integrity he brought to this role and wish him nothing but continued success in his next chapter."
"While we are sad to see Coach Larson leave SCSU, it is an honor to our program to know that our coaches are in high demand," said St. Cloud State University President Dr. Gregory Tomso. "We are grateful for the great work that Coach Larson has done and wish him the best."
Larson was hired as the third head coach of the Huskies' Division-I era ahead of the 2018-19 season and compiled a 153-116-23 record in eight seasons, earning NCHC Coach of the Year honors in his debut campaign. Under his guidance, 27 Huskies earned All-NCHC honors, five were named AHCA All-America honors and 126 earned NCHC Academic All-Conference honors. St. Cloud State captured NCHC titles in 2018-19 (Penrose) and 2022-23 (Frozen Faceoff), won the 2021 NCAA Northeast Regional Championship and reached the NCAA National Championship game at the 2021 NCAA Frozen Four. Larson reached his 100th win in his 172nd game as SCSU bench boss in a 6-2 in over Omaha on Feb. 24, 2023, becoming the fastest in program history to reach the 100-win milestone, doing so in 19 games faster than Bob Motzko.
"It has been an absolute honor to serve as the head coach and continue building the legacy of Husky Hockey alongside countless wonderful student-athletes, coaches and staff over the past eight years," said Larson. "I will cherish the memories and relationships built throughout my time in St. Cloud for a lifetime. Thank you to my players, staff and our fans for the support and everything they have given for the betterment of St. Cloud State Hockey."
Larson represented the United States of America four times while with SCSU, helping lead the Americans to back-to-back gold medals at the 2024 and 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships. He also served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship and 2022 Olympics. He is the only SCSU coach to participate in the Olympics while currently on staff at SCSU.
The Huskies advanced to four NCAA Tournaments in seven tournaments played and eight seasons under Larson, gaining bids in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. He guided the Huskies to its second NCAA regional title, second NCAA Frozen Four appearance and first-ever NCAA Championship Game appearance in 2021, as well as their sixth-ever NCAA regional championship game appearance in 2023.
Individually, five Huskies earned AHCA All-America honors in Larson's eight seasons with Patrick Newell, Jimmy Schuldt, Jack Ahcan and Blake Lizotte earning the nods in 2018-19 and Dylan Anhorn in 2023-24. Seven Huskies have earned nine NCHC Player of the Year honors, including Tyson Gross, who was named the 2025-26 NCHC Defensive Forward of the Year. A total of 13 Huskies have been selected in the NHL draft since 2018 while six who have played under Larson have registered time in the NHL, including Tyson Gross who made his debut with the Calgary Flames earlier this week.
The Huskies shined in the classroom under Larson with 126 Huskies earning NCHC Academic All-Conference recognition and 72 earning NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Award honors. Nine Huskies have earned College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District honors with current assistant coach Clark Kuster earning 2019-20 CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team honors. At the 2021 NCAA Frozen Four, Chase Brand was awarded the NCAA Elite 90 Award for the highest cumulative GPA of student-athletes at the event.
Prior to St. Cloud State, Larson served as an assistant coach at his alma mater Minnesota Duluth from 2015-18, his second stint at with the Bulldogs. He also was an assistant with the Bulldogs from 2008-11 and helped Minnesota Duluth win the NCAA Division-I national championship in 2011 and 2018. The Bulldogs made five NCAA tournament appearances during Larson's tenure, finished as the NCAA runner-up in 2017, won the NCHC playoff title in 2017 and the WCHA playoff championship in 2009. In addition to his time at UMD, Larson served as head coach and general manager with the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers from 2011-13. He spent two seasons in Sioux City and led that team to the USHL playoffs in 2011-12. Larson, who served as the head coach for gold medal-winning Team USA at the 2012 World Junior A Challenge, returned to the collegiate ranks in 2013 when he joined the staff at Ohio State as an associate head coach.
A Duluth native and 1991 Denfeld High School graduate, Larson was a defenseman at UMD for four seasons (1991-95), scoring 24 goals and 43 assists for 67 points in 133 career games. He captained the Bulldogs during his senior year in 1994-95 and was a three-time WCHA All-Academic team award recipient. He also landed the team's Community Service Award and was named UMD's Most Improved Player as a junior.
An 11th round pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1990 NHL Draft, Larson went on to play 12 years in the professional ranks (1995-07), including two as a player-coach with the San Diego Gulls of the now-defunct West Coast Hockey League. He also played with the Colonial Hockey League's Madison Monsters, the East Coast Hockey League's Louisville Riverfrogs, the International Hockey League's Utah Grizzlies, Las Vegas Thunder and Long Beach Ice Dogs in addition to spending another five years in Denmark, Germany and England. He wrapped up his playing days in 2006-07 as a player/assistant coach for the Florida Seals of the Southern Professional Hockey League.
A national search for the program's next head coach will commence immediately.
"Brett Larson has been an exceptional leader at St. Cloud University, both on and off the ice," said Director of Athletics Holly Schreiner. "His commitment to our student-athletes, our campus, and our community has elevated our program in so many ways. We are grateful for the passion and integrity he brought to this role and wish him nothing but continued success in his next chapter."
"While we are sad to see Coach Larson leave SCSU, it is an honor to our program to know that our coaches are in high demand," said St. Cloud State University President Dr. Gregory Tomso. "We are grateful for the great work that Coach Larson has done and wish him the best."
Larson was hired as the third head coach of the Huskies' Division-I era ahead of the 2018-19 season and compiled a 153-116-23 record in eight seasons, earning NCHC Coach of the Year honors in his debut campaign. Under his guidance, 27 Huskies earned All-NCHC honors, five were named AHCA All-America honors and 126 earned NCHC Academic All-Conference honors. St. Cloud State captured NCHC titles in 2018-19 (Penrose) and 2022-23 (Frozen Faceoff), won the 2021 NCAA Northeast Regional Championship and reached the NCAA National Championship game at the 2021 NCAA Frozen Four. Larson reached his 100th win in his 172nd game as SCSU bench boss in a 6-2 in over Omaha on Feb. 24, 2023, becoming the fastest in program history to reach the 100-win milestone, doing so in 19 games faster than Bob Motzko.
"It has been an absolute honor to serve as the head coach and continue building the legacy of Husky Hockey alongside countless wonderful student-athletes, coaches and staff over the past eight years," said Larson. "I will cherish the memories and relationships built throughout my time in St. Cloud for a lifetime. Thank you to my players, staff and our fans for the support and everything they have given for the betterment of St. Cloud State Hockey."
Larson represented the United States of America four times while with SCSU, helping lead the Americans to back-to-back gold medals at the 2024 and 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships. He also served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship and 2022 Olympics. He is the only SCSU coach to participate in the Olympics while currently on staff at SCSU.
The Huskies advanced to four NCAA Tournaments in seven tournaments played and eight seasons under Larson, gaining bids in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. He guided the Huskies to its second NCAA regional title, second NCAA Frozen Four appearance and first-ever NCAA Championship Game appearance in 2021, as well as their sixth-ever NCAA regional championship game appearance in 2023.
Individually, five Huskies earned AHCA All-America honors in Larson's eight seasons with Patrick Newell, Jimmy Schuldt, Jack Ahcan and Blake Lizotte earning the nods in 2018-19 and Dylan Anhorn in 2023-24. Seven Huskies have earned nine NCHC Player of the Year honors, including Tyson Gross, who was named the 2025-26 NCHC Defensive Forward of the Year. A total of 13 Huskies have been selected in the NHL draft since 2018 while six who have played under Larson have registered time in the NHL, including Tyson Gross who made his debut with the Calgary Flames earlier this week.
The Huskies shined in the classroom under Larson with 126 Huskies earning NCHC Academic All-Conference recognition and 72 earning NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Award honors. Nine Huskies have earned College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District honors with current assistant coach Clark Kuster earning 2019-20 CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team honors. At the 2021 NCAA Frozen Four, Chase Brand was awarded the NCAA Elite 90 Award for the highest cumulative GPA of student-athletes at the event.
Prior to St. Cloud State, Larson served as an assistant coach at his alma mater Minnesota Duluth from 2015-18, his second stint at with the Bulldogs. He also was an assistant with the Bulldogs from 2008-11 and helped Minnesota Duluth win the NCAA Division-I national championship in 2011 and 2018. The Bulldogs made five NCAA tournament appearances during Larson's tenure, finished as the NCAA runner-up in 2017, won the NCHC playoff title in 2017 and the WCHA playoff championship in 2009. In addition to his time at UMD, Larson served as head coach and general manager with the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers from 2011-13. He spent two seasons in Sioux City and led that team to the USHL playoffs in 2011-12. Larson, who served as the head coach for gold medal-winning Team USA at the 2012 World Junior A Challenge, returned to the collegiate ranks in 2013 when he joined the staff at Ohio State as an associate head coach.
A Duluth native and 1991 Denfeld High School graduate, Larson was a defenseman at UMD for four seasons (1991-95), scoring 24 goals and 43 assists for 67 points in 133 career games. He captained the Bulldogs during his senior year in 1994-95 and was a three-time WCHA All-Academic team award recipient. He also landed the team's Community Service Award and was named UMD's Most Improved Player as a junior.
An 11th round pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1990 NHL Draft, Larson went on to play 12 years in the professional ranks (1995-07), including two as a player-coach with the San Diego Gulls of the now-defunct West Coast Hockey League. He also played with the Colonial Hockey League's Madison Monsters, the East Coast Hockey League's Louisville Riverfrogs, the International Hockey League's Utah Grizzlies, Las Vegas Thunder and Long Beach Ice Dogs in addition to spending another five years in Denmark, Germany and England. He wrapped up his playing days in 2006-07 as a player/assistant coach for the Florida Seals of the Southern Professional Hockey League.
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