Why David Carle Turned Down Blackhawks Job & Latest on His Coaching Future

David Carle's coaching future is likely to remain in Denver, after he turned down turned down Chicago Blackhawks head coaching job

We heard over the weekend that one of the top head coaching candidates out there, two-time NCAA champion David Carle, has decided to remove himself from the running for the Chicago Blackhawks job. It was said that he was their No. 1 choice.

Insider Elliotte Friedman, on the 32 Thoughts podcast on Monday, dropped some intel on us as to why the 35-year-old Carle turned down the Chicago job, and what the latest is on his coaching future.

Carle has led the University of Denver to two national championships (2022, 2024), and they also made it to the Frozen Four this year, suffering a heartbreaking double-overtime loss in the semi-final.

It was rumored a couple of weeks back that the Hawks were preparing a 'major offer' for Carle.

Why did David Carle turn down Blackhawks coaching job?

Friedman says the Chicago offer apparently wasn't enough for him to make the move out of Denver.

There was a couple of things here, from what I understand, about why he made the decision that he made. Number one, his family just got bigger, they had another child, he's got three of them now. I don't know if he thought it was the right time.

And the second reason, he suggests, has to do with just how far away the Blackhawks are from being a playoff team.

I think everybody's got a different opinion on how long it's gonna take before that team is a winner. And I just think that's probably one of the issues there too, is simply that ... even though they have some prospects to be excited about, I'm not sure yet...
I just wonder if everybody saw the timeline as the same.

Where will David Carle coach in 2025-26?

As for what's next for Carle, Friedman suspects that Chicago won't be the only team that he turns down, and that the young coach will return to where he's comfortable for now, to the Pioneers.

I've been told it's likely that he goes back to the University of Denver. I do think there have been other NHL teams, at least one, that have contacted him, but I'm not sure that he's going to be going to the NHL right now.

We've heard that there are several other NHL teams that have Carle on their radar, but it sounds like they might all be disappointed by the coach's decision.

Carle has led Denver to a 148-62-16 overall record in his six years at the helm.