Luke Strand

Last updated
Luke Strand
Current position
TitleHead coach
Team Minnesota State
Conference CCHA
Biographical details
Born (1973-02-12) February 12, 1973 (age 51)
Angeles City, Philippines
Alma mater University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire
Playing career
1992–1993 North Iowa Huskies
1993–1997 Wisconsin–Eau Claire
1997–1999 Madison Monsters
1999–2000 Madison Kodiaks
Position(s) Right Wing
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2002–2003 St. Norbert (Assistant)
2003–2005 Green Bay Gamblers (Assistant)
2005–2007 Wisconsin–Eau Claire
2007–2009 Houston Aeros (Assistant)
2009–2011 Sioux City Musketeers
2011–2013 Abbotsford Heat (Assistant)
2014–2015 Madison Capitols
2015–2016 Wisconsin (Assistant)
2016–2017 Calgary Flames (scout)
2017–2022 Sioux City Musketeers
2022–2023 Ohio State (Assistant)
2023–Present Minnesota State
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
2013–2014 Sioux City Musketeers (GM)
Head coaching record
Overall226–184–55 (.545) [USHL]
18–15–4 (.541) [NCAA]

Luke Strand is the current head ice hockey coach of the Minnesota State men's ice hockey team. [1]

Contents

Career

While he was born in the Philippines, Strand grew up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. [2] After graduating from North High School in 1991, Strand joined the North Iowa Huskies to continue his junior career. His numbers with the club were solid but unremarkable. He was, however, able to earn a place on the varsity team at Wisconsin–Eau Claire. After a bad season during his freshman year, Strand was able to help the Blugolds post a winning season as a sophomore. His numbers remained consistent as an upperclassman, however, the team declined and ended with losing records in his final two years.

After graduating with a degree in Kinesiology, Strand continued his playing career with the Madison Monsters, a UHL team. He provided modest depth scoring for two seasons before the Monsters moved to Knoxville. Strand stayed in the area and joined the replacement Madison Kodiaks for their inaugural season in 1999, however, he retired as a player after the year.

When he was in 5th grade, Strand had written a school paper saying that when he grew up he wanted to wither be a fireman or coach. In 2002, he was able to fulfill one of those dreams by joining St. Norbert as an assistant. He helped the Green Knights take the next step in their ascent, finishing the regular season as the #1 team in the country while losing just 1 game. St. Norbert ended up losing in the National Semifinal to the eventual champion, however, they also lost Strand after the year when he accepted a similar position with the Green Bay Gamblers. In two years with the club, Strand was unable to help improve their performance as they missed the playoffs both years. He was, however, able to move on and accepted his first head coaching job, returning to his alma mater.

Strand's second appearance with the Blugolds came as the program was experiencing its nadir and they won just 2 games in his first year behind the bench. While his second season also ended with a losing record, the team performed far better and nearly quintupled their win total. [3] The swift turnaround garnered Strand his first coaching job in the pro ranks and he joined the Houston Aeros as an assistant.

Two years later, Strand returned to the USHL as the head coach for the Sioux City Musketeers. Two years on, after mediocre results, Strand won on the move again and he worked as an assistant for the Abbotsford Heat. Two years later, Strand tried his hand at being a general manager, working in that position for the Musketeers. He lasted just 7 months before accepting the head coaching position for the expansion Madison Capitols. Predictably, the first year team posted a losing record but it would be the best season for the franchise until 2021–22. [4]

Strand left the Capitols after just one season to take his first job at the Division I level, serving as an assistant at Wisconsin. After the season, the head coach, Mike Eaves was not retained and his entire staff was let go. [5] After spending a year working as a scout, Strand returned to the Sioux City for a third stint with the Musketeers. This time, however, he stuck around for a while. Strand served as the head coach for 5 seasons and slowly built the team into a power. In 2022, the Musketeers were third in the regular season and went on a tear through the playoffs, going 8–2 to win the franchise's first championship in 20 years. Coincidentally, Sioux City defeated the Madison Capitols in the finals.

After winning his first title, Strand returned to the college ranks and served as an assistant at Ohio State. He helped the already-successful program return to the NCAA tournament and produce an excellent season, finishing in the top 10 and reaching the Quarterfinal round of the NCAA tournament. Shortly after the end of the season, the head coaching job at Minnesota State opened up and Strand accepted the position.

Head coaching record

USHL

TeamYearRegular seasonPost season
GWLOTLSOLPtsFinishResult
Sioux City Musketeers 2009–10 6027249–(63)5th in West
Sioux City Musketeers 2010–11 6031236–(68)6th in WestWestern Conference Quarterfinals
Madison Capitols 2014–15 60242511–(59)7th in East
Sioux City Musketeers 2017–18 60262644(60)7th in West
Sioux City Musketeers 2018–19 62302552(67)6th in WestWestern Conference Quarterfinals
Sioux City Musketeers 2019–20 48162471(40)8th in West
Sioux City Musketeers 2020–21 53312110(.594)*3rd in WestWestern Conference Final
Sioux City Musketeers 2021–22 62411641(87)2nd in WestClark Cup Champions
Totals465226184478———

* percentage used in 2021 due to an unbalanced schedule caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

College

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Minnesota State Mavericks (CCHA)(2023–present)
2023–24 Minnesota State 18–15–412–10–24th CCHA Semifinals
Total:18–15–4

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eau Claire, Wisconsin</span> City in Wisconsin, United States

Eau Claire is a city in Eau Claire and Chippewa counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the county seat of Eau Claire County. It had a population of 69,421 in 2020, making it the state's eighth-most populous city. It is the principal city of the Eau Claire metropolitan area, locally known as the Chippewa Valley, and is also part of the larger Eau Claire–Menomonie combined statistical area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire</span> Public university in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, US

The University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire is a public university in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's and master's degrees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Hockey League</span> Ice hockey league, founded 1947

The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the Midwestern United States and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictly amateur, allowing former players to compete in NCAA college hockey. The league plans to expand into Canada’s Quebec/Ontario provinces in the near future, creating an entire new division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sioux Falls Stampede</span> Junior ice hockey team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

The Sioux Falls Stampede are a Tier I junior ice hockey team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Stampede are members of the Western Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The team plays home games at the Denny Sanford Premier Center, the largest facility in capacity and size in the USHL. The team was established in 1999 and is owned by Sioux Falls Sports LLC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Hakstol</span> Canadian ice hockey coach

David Hakstol is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach who is the head coach for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hakstol was the head coach for Sioux City Musketeers for four seasons, followed by four years as an assistant at his alma mater, the University of North Dakota. He was promoted to head coach in 2004 and led the program for eleven seasons. Hakstol served as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers from May 2015 to December 2018, and was an assistant coach for Canada's national men's team in 2017 and 2019.

Lisa Lea Stone is an American college basketball coach who was previously the head women's basketball coach at Saint Louis University.

Michael Gordon Eaves is an American former National Hockey League (NHL) player and the former head coach of the St. Olaf College men's hockey team and for his alma mater the University of Wisconsin, where he was part of two NCAA National Championship teams with the Badgers. In 2019, he was named the head coach of the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL), a role he held until 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Yeo</span> Canadian ice hockey player and coach

Michael Yeo is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach, currently serving as an assistant coach for the Vancouver Canucks. He is the former head coach of the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL), as well as interim head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. Yeo grew up in North Bay, Ontario. He has also been an assistant coach for the Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins and head coach of the American Hockey League's Houston Aeros.

Scott Alan Sandelin is an American former professional ice hockey player. He is currently the head coach of the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs men's ice hockey team. In 2011, he became the first coach in Bulldog history to lead them to a national title, in a 3–2 overtime game against the University of Michigan at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In the 2018 NCAAs, he led the Bulldogs to a second national title, over Notre Dame 2–1, also played at the Xcel Energy Center. The following season, in the 2019 NCAAs, he led the Bulldogs to a third national title. Sandelin grew up in Hibbing, Minnesota, where he went on to be drafted in the second round by the Montreal Canadiens and play collegiate hockey for the North Dakota Fighting Sioux.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey</span> College ice hockey team

The Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey team is an NCAA Division I college ice hockey program that represents Minnesota State University, Mankato. The Mavericks compete in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). Their home arena is the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center located in downtown Mankato, Minnesota.

Lee Elmer Weigel is a former American football running back. He played college football for the Wisconsin–Eau Claire Blugolds and later had stints with the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He appeared in two games for the Packers as one of the replacement players during the 1987 NFL strike.

Scott Owens is an American former ice hockey player and coach. Owens was the long-time head coach of Colorado College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madison Capitols</span> Junior ice hockey team located in Madison, Wisconsin

The Madison Capitols are a Tier I junior ice hockey team that plays in the Eastern Conference of the United States Hockey League. Founded in 2014, the team plays its home games at Bob Suter's Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton, Wisconsin.

Ken Anderson is a retired American college basketball coach who spent 27 seasons at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. His winning percentage of .806 ranks third in college basketball history, behind only Mark Few and Adolph Rupp, and one spot ahead of John Wooden.

Joseph H. Merten was an American basketball player and coach. He played small forward and his listed height was 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m).

Brett Larson is an American ice hockey coach and former player. He is the current head coach of St. Cloud State, having been named to the position in April 2018.

Dave Siciliano is a Canadian former ice hockey coach and player. He played university hockey for the Lakehead Nor'Westers, and led them to the International Collegiate Hockey Association championship as the most valuable player in the 1966–67 season. As the player-coach for the Thunder Bay Twins, his team won both the United States Hockey League (USHL) playoffs and the 1975 Allan Cup as the Canadian senior champions. He served as head coach of the Thunder Bay Flyers from 1986 to 1993, where he won four regular season titles, and two playoffs championships, and two Centennial Cups as Canadian junior champions. He was a coach for the Canada men's under-18 team at the Phoenix Cup in 1987 and 1991, and for the Canada men's junior team which won gold at the 1993 World Juniors.

The 1946 Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference football season was the season of college football played by the member schools of the Wisconsin State Teachers College Conference (WSTCC) as part of the 1946 college football season. The conference had existed since 1913 and, during the 1946, was divided into Northern and Southern Divisions. Superior State, led by head coach Ted Whereatt, won the Northern Division championship and compiled an overall record of 2–1–3. Two teams tied for the Southern Division championship: Stevens Point State, coached by George R. Berg to a 3–2–1 record; and Milwaukee State, coached by Herman Kluge to a 3–3–1 record. Milwaukee State had both the best offensive and defensive records in the conference.

Matt Loen is an American ice hockey coach and former player who was the NCAA Division III coach of the year.

Austin Dickinson is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach for Buena Vista University, a position he has held since 2023.

References

  1. ↑ "Strand Named Head Coach of Maverick Hockey Program". Minnesota State Mavericks. April 10, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Luke Strand discusses becoming the head coach at Minnesota State, his background in hockey". The Rink Live. April 20, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  3. ↑ "UW-Eau Claire Men's Hockey Team History". USCHO. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Luke Strand". Linked In. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  5. ↑ Andy Baggot. "Alvarez: Change of direction needed for men's hockey".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.