Mike Hastings is serving as an assistant coach for the 2022 U.S. Men’s National Team for the first time, but is no stranger to international hockey.
He will be behind the bench of a U.S. team for the seventh time, with his last appearance as assistant coach for the 2022 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team. Prior to his Olympic role, Hastings served as head coach of the silver medal-winning U.S. National Junior Team at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship.
An assistant coach for the 2005 U.S. National Junior Team, Hastings filled the same role with the 2003 U.S. National Junior Team and twice served as head coach of the U.S. Junior Select Team, including in 2000 when Team USA won the Viking Cup.
He recently finished his 10th season as head coach at Minnesota State and guided the Mavericks to a nation-best 38 wins and a national runner-up finish. The Spencer Penrose Award recipient as the top coach in NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey the past two seasons, Hastings has led Minnesota State to more wins than any other team over the past decade with a 274-96-24 mark.
His teams have advanced to the NCAA Tournament on seven occasions, including a trip to the Frozen Four the past two seasons; won eight conference regular-season titles, including an unprecedented five consecutive (2018-22); and four league post-season championships.
The three-time NCAA Coach of the Year arrived at Minnesota State following a three-year stint (2009-12) as the associate head coach for the University of Nebraska-Omaha men’s ice hockey team. He also served as an assistant coach with the men's hockey program at the University of Minnesota (2008-09) for one season after a 14-year run (1994-2008) as head coach and general manager of the United States Hockey League's Omaha Lancers.
During his time in Omaha, the Lancers never had a losing season as he helped the team capture three Anderson Cups (2001-02, 2004-05 (shared), 2007-08) as the league's regular-season champion and a trio of Clark Cup titles (1998, 2001, 2008) as the USHL's playoff champion. Hastings, who left the USHL as the league’s all-time winningest coach with a 529-210-56 (W-L-T) record, was named USHL Coach of the Year twice (1997, 2002) and league General Manager of the Year on five occasions (1997, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008).
A 1993 graduate of St. Cloud State University, Hastings played two years for the Huskies (1986-88) before a back injury ended his playing career.