Unveiling North Dakota’s New Head Hockey Coach

A decision has been made on the new University of North Dakota head hockey coach.

He is a familiar name and face since he has been serving as an assistant coach under former head coaches Brad Berry and Dave Hakstol.

The NEW University of North Dakota's men's hockey coach and 17th person to ever hold the title is Dane Jackson.

University of North Dakota Athletic Director Bill Chaves made the announcement Saturday night, according to an article on the North Dakota Fighting Hawks website.

Dane Jackson has certainly paid his dues, as he has spent the last 19 years behind the North Dakota bench as an assistant coach.

According to the article, Jackson was chosen from a candidate pool of four finalists, which included former UND hockey alumni Matt Smaby, Jason Herter, and Grand Forks native Nick Fohr, who played college hockey for Nebraska Omaha.

Jackson was quoted as saying, "I am very humbled and appreciative of the opportunity to become the next leader of the North Dakota hockey program."

Dane Jackson also played college hockey for the University of North Dakota.

He is a native of Castlegar, British Columbia, and played for UND from 1988-1992. During his time with North Dakota, Jackson scored 59 goals and 103 points in 150 career games. He was also drafted in the 3rd round (44th overall) by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft.

He played a total of 11 seasons in the NHL with stops at Vacouver, Buffalo, and the New York Islanders.

Dane Jackson's family has ties to Bismarck as his wife, Carrie, is a graduate of Bismarck High School. They have three children: Dillion, Dallas, and Lila.