St. Cloud State Men’s Hockey Hires Joe Howe as Assistant Coach
6/18/2026 9:47:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Howe joins the Huskies after five seasons at Yale, including one as interim head coach
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Men's Hockey head coach Nick Oliver announced the addition of Joe Howe as an assistant coach ahead of the 2026-27 season. Howe joins the Huskies staff with more than a decade of coaching experience, including a national championship with Denver and a season as the interim head coach at Yale.
"We couldn't be more excited to welcome Joe Howe to St. Cloud State University and our Husky Hockey family," said Oliver. "Joe is an extremely talented coach with a strong ability to develop and connect with student-athletes. His experience and success at the college and international levels will be invaluable to our program. Joe will have an immediate impact on our players and staff as we prepare for this season and continue to build for the future. We can't wait to welcome Joe and his family to St. Cloud."
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity to join the St. Cloud State family and I look forward to building on the rich history of one of the great hockey programs in the country," said Howe. "The track record of player development, current and former NHLers, and winning at St. Cloud speaks for itself. Coach Oliver and Holly Schreiner's leadership and vision for the future of the program is exciting. I can't wait to get started, but maybe most importantly the quality of people involved with the school, department, and program are first class. My wife and I can't wait to get settled and make St. Cloud home."
Howe comes to St. Cloud after five seasons at Yale where he served as an assistant coach from 2021-25 before serving as the interim head coach in 2025-26 following the retirement of Keith Allain. With Howe on staff, goaltender Jack Stark earned 2023-24 All-ECAC Rookie Team honors while David Chen was named the 2026 ECAC Hockey Men's Scholar Athlete of the Year. In total, 97 Bulldogs earned ECAC Hockey All-Academic recognition with the 2025-26 list still to be announced.
While on staff with Yale, Howe was chosen to two USA Hockey coaching staffs, serving as an assistant coach for the 2025 U-18 Men's Select Team and the 2024 U-17 Men's Select Team. He helped the Americans capture gold at both events, winning the 2024 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament in Slovakia and the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Czechia, which was Team USA's first championship at the event since 2003, and only the second in the tournament's history.
Prior to joining Yale, Howe spent three seasons with Alaska (2018-21), where he worked with all three positions as well as the power play for the Nanooks. Before UAF, he spent three seasons with Denver, serving as the team's volunteer assistant coach and goalie coach (2015-17) before being promoted to Director of Operations (2017-18). Howe helped the Pioneers claim the 2017 NCAA Championship after winning the NCHC regular season title. Denver also made it to the 2016 Frozen Four and won the 2018 NCHC Tournament. While working as the goaltender coach for DU, his netminders improved in goals against average, save percentage, games played and wins from the previous seasons. Howe coached Tanner Jaillet, who was the 2017 Mike Richter Award winner, the NCHC Goalie of the Year and a second-team All-American.
Hailing from Plymouth, Minn., Howe was a standout goaltender with Colorado College from 2009-2013. He appeared in 119 career games with the Tigers and is currently ranked third in career saves at CC. Howe was a three-time Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) All-Academic Team selection before graduating with a bachelor's degree in mathematical economics in May 2013. From 2013-15, Howe played professionally in the Central Hockey League (CHL), the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and the American Hockey League (AHL).
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Men's Hockey, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Season ticket renewals for the 2026-27 season are now open with a renewal deadline set for August 15. Tickets are available for purchase at www.scsutickets.com or by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX / 320-308-2137.
"We couldn't be more excited to welcome Joe Howe to St. Cloud State University and our Husky Hockey family," said Oliver. "Joe is an extremely talented coach with a strong ability to develop and connect with student-athletes. His experience and success at the college and international levels will be invaluable to our program. Joe will have an immediate impact on our players and staff as we prepare for this season and continue to build for the future. We can't wait to welcome Joe and his family to St. Cloud."
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity to join the St. Cloud State family and I look forward to building on the rich history of one of the great hockey programs in the country," said Howe. "The track record of player development, current and former NHLers, and winning at St. Cloud speaks for itself. Coach Oliver and Holly Schreiner's leadership and vision for the future of the program is exciting. I can't wait to get started, but maybe most importantly the quality of people involved with the school, department, and program are first class. My wife and I can't wait to get settled and make St. Cloud home."
Howe comes to St. Cloud after five seasons at Yale where he served as an assistant coach from 2021-25 before serving as the interim head coach in 2025-26 following the retirement of Keith Allain. With Howe on staff, goaltender Jack Stark earned 2023-24 All-ECAC Rookie Team honors while David Chen was named the 2026 ECAC Hockey Men's Scholar Athlete of the Year. In total, 97 Bulldogs earned ECAC Hockey All-Academic recognition with the 2025-26 list still to be announced.
While on staff with Yale, Howe was chosen to two USA Hockey coaching staffs, serving as an assistant coach for the 2025 U-18 Men's Select Team and the 2024 U-17 Men's Select Team. He helped the Americans capture gold at both events, winning the 2024 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament in Slovakia and the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Czechia, which was Team USA's first championship at the event since 2003, and only the second in the tournament's history.
Prior to joining Yale, Howe spent three seasons with Alaska (2018-21), where he worked with all three positions as well as the power play for the Nanooks. Before UAF, he spent three seasons with Denver, serving as the team's volunteer assistant coach and goalie coach (2015-17) before being promoted to Director of Operations (2017-18). Howe helped the Pioneers claim the 2017 NCAA Championship after winning the NCHC regular season title. Denver also made it to the 2016 Frozen Four and won the 2018 NCHC Tournament. While working as the goaltender coach for DU, his netminders improved in goals against average, save percentage, games played and wins from the previous seasons. Howe coached Tanner Jaillet, who was the 2017 Mike Richter Award winner, the NCHC Goalie of the Year and a second-team All-American.
Hailing from Plymouth, Minn., Howe was a standout goaltender with Colorado College from 2009-2013. He appeared in 119 career games with the Tigers and is currently ranked third in career saves at CC. Howe was a three-time Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) All-Academic Team selection before graduating with a bachelor's degree in mathematical economics in May 2013. From 2013-15, Howe played professionally in the Central Hockey League (CHL), the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and the American Hockey League (AHL).
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Men's Hockey, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Season ticket renewals for the 2026-27 season are now open with a renewal deadline set for August 15. Tickets are available for purchase at www.scsutickets.com or by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX / 320-308-2137.
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