Staff Directory
- Title:
- Men's Hockey Head Coach
- Email:
- Office:
- HBNHC 23
Brett Larson is in his seventh season as the men’s hockey head coach at St. Cloud State University in 2024-25. He is the third coach in the Division-I era for St. Cloud State and the 18th head coach overall since the program started intercollegiate play in 1931-32. Larson has continued to build upon the program’s historic rise, leading the Huskies to four NCAA Tournament appearances, two conference championships and the program’s first-ever National Championship game appearance. Under Larson’s guidance, 23 Huskies have earned All-NCHC honors, five have earned AHCA All-America honors and 85 have earned NCHC Academic All-Conference honors.
Larson will make his fifth appearance representing the United States of America at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, as he returns to the bench as an assistant coach for Team USA after helping the team capture gold at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship. Larson was previously an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2022 Olympics, 2020 World Junior Championship, as he as manning the bench as head coach for the U.S. Junior Select Team that won the 2012 World Junior A Challenge.
Six seasons into his tenure at St. Cloud State, Larson already ranks fourth in all-time wins in program history at 123-76-21, trailing only Craig Dahl (338-309-52, 1987-05), Bob Motzko (276-192-49, 2005-18) and Charlie Basch (181-193-7, 1968-84). 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 milestone, doing so in 19 games faster than Motzko. He has led the Huskies to winning records in five of his first six seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. With Larson at the helm, St. Cloud State has captured two NCHC titles (2018-19 Penrose Cup, 2023 Frozen Faceoff), the 2021 NCAA Northeast Regional Championship and an NCAA National Championship game appearance at the 2021 NCAA Frozen Four.
In 2023-24, SCSU went 17-16-5 and finished third in the NCHC, earning home ice at the NCHC Quarterfinals for the fifth time in six seasons. The Huskies beat Western Michigan in NCHC Quarterfinals to advance to the 2024 NCHC Frozen Faceoff, its fourth trip to the semifinal round in Larson’s tenure. Three Huskies earned All-NCHC honors, with defenseman Dylan Anhorn being named to the first team, defenseman Jack Peart earning second team honors for the second consecutive season and gaoltender Isak Posch earning all-rookie team honors. Anhorn was also named a second team All-American by AHCA/CCM, becoming the fifth Husky under Larson and 19th in the Division-I era to earn All-America recognition.
The 2022-23 campaign for the Huskies was another one for the record book, as the Huskies exceeded numerous expectations from pundits and rose to No. 1 in the nation by January. The Huskies went 25-13-3, marking the 17th time in the program’s 36-year history they have reached 20 wins while recording 10 wins over top-20 ranked opponents, including six against top-five opponents. Larson led the Huskies to an NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship in March at the Xcel Energy Center, its second NCHC tournament title in program history and its seventh conference championship overall. Following the title, Larson’s squad earned the program’s fifth consecutive and 17th overall trip to the NCAA Tournament as he became the fifth Husky head coach to lead the program to NCAA Tournament berths in the first four seasons an NCAA Tournament was played. In the Fargo regional, the Huskies defeated Minnesota State 4-0, marking its first NCAA shutout, and advanced to the NCAA regional championship game for the sixth time in program history.
Four Huskies earned NCHC all-conference honors over the 2022-23 campaign, led by Jami Krannila, who earned first team honors and was named the Defensive Forward of the Year. Joining Krannila on the all-conference list was Jack Peart on the second team, and Zach Okabe and Dylan Anhorn on the honorable mention list. Three-year captain was also awarded the NCHC Sportsmanship Award. At the NCHC Frozen Faceoff, four Huskies were named to the All-Tournament Team, as Krannila was named MVP and was joined by Okabe, Peart and Jaxon Castor.
During the 2021-22 season, Larson got the illustrious honor to represent the United States of America at the 2022 Winter Olympics, as he served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. Larson was joined by fellow Huskies Nick Perbix and Sam Hentges on the team and helped lead Team USA to a 3-0 mark in pool play. Larson was the third St. Cloud State Coach to join the bench for Team USA at the Olympics, joining Herb Brooks (Head Coach – 1980 Lake Placid, Head Coach – 2002 Salt Lake City) and John Harrington (Assistant Coach – 1984 Sarajevo). He is the first to do so while currently coaching the Huskies, as Brooks was head coach of the Huskies for the 1986-87 season, while Harrington was an associate head coach from 1990-93.
In 2021-22, Larson’s Huskies went 18-15-4 and earned the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Midwest Regional, its third NCAA Tournament appearance in the last four seasons. Two Huskies earned all-conference honors, as defenseman Nick Perbix was named to the NCHC First Team and Kevin Fitzgerald was named to the NCHC Second Team. The Huskies were especially good on special teams over the season, as the Huskies’ power play unit led the nation and set an NCHC record for its 31.3 percent (45-of-144) success rate with a man advantage. On the penalty kill, forward Micah Miller led the nation with four shorthanded goals, the third-best single season mark in program history.
In 2020-21, Larson guided St. Cloud State to its first ever appearance in the NCAA Division-I national championship game in Pittsburgh, Penn. Larson and the Huskies exceeded expectations, posting a 20-11-0 overall record with a 15-9-0 conference record to finish second in the always rugged NCHC. From there, St. Cloud State advanced to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship game and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Northeast Regional, where the team beat Boston and Boston College for the regional championship to advance to the Frozen Four for just the second time in program history. The Huskies played in the Division I National Championship game for the first time in school history and finished as the runner-up. Nick Perbix was named to the NCHC Second Team and Veeti Miettinen was named the NCHC Rookie of the Year, as well as being named to the NCHC Second team and NCHC Rookie Team.
In 2020, Larson served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the IIHF World Junior Championships by USA Hockey. With the Huskies in 2019-20, Larson led the Huskies to 13-15-6 overall record and a 10-12-2 mark in the always rugged NCHC. SCSU’s Jack Ahcan, David Hrenak and Nick Poehling all earned All-NCHC honors in 2019-20.
In his first season with the Huskies, Larson made an immediate impact as he led the Huskies to the 2018-19 NCHC regular season championship and a 30-6-3, 19-2-3 NCHC record. Named the NCHC Coach of the Year following the season, Larson helped the Huskies earn the top seed for the 2019 NCAA Division-I Tournament. Under Larson’s direction, the Huskies had an unprecedented four players earn AHCA All-America honors (Jimmy Schuldt, Patrick Newell, Jack Ahcan and Blake Lizotte). Schuldt was named a Hobey Baker Award top three finalist and was named the NCHC Player of the Year. The Huskies went undefeated at home in 2018-19 under the leadership of Larson and also set a new league standard for most NCHC victories in a season at 19.
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. At UMD, Larson coached and/or recruited one Hobey Baker Award winner, five All-Americans, eight future NHLers and one U.S. Olympian.
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 played college hockey as a defenseman at UMD for four seasons (1991-95). He scored 24 goals and 43 assists 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 National Hockey League draft, Larson went on to play 12 years in the professional ranks, including two (1990-2001) 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.
Larson received his bachelor’s degree in criminology from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2004. He and his wife, Kelly, have two children, Lane and Calla.
| YEAR | RECORD | CONF. RECORD | NOTES |
| 2018-19 | 30-6-3 | 19-2-3 (1st) | NCHC Penrose Cup Champions, NCAA West Regional |
| 2019-20 | 13-15-6 | 10-12-2 (5th) | |
| 2020-21 | 20-11-0 | 15-9-0 (2nd) | NCAA Northeast Regional Champions, NCAA Frozen Four, NCAA Runner-up |
| 2021-22 | 18-15-4 | 10-10-4 (4th) | NCAA Midwest Regional |
| 2022-23 | 25-13-3 | 12-9-3 (4th) | NCHC Frozen Faceoff Champions, NCAA West Regional |
| 2023-24 | 17-16-5 | 11-9-4 (3rd) | |
| TOTAL | 123-76-21 | 77-51-16 |
