MANKATO —
For a little more than two months, Darren Blue and Todd Knott auditioned for new Minnesota State men’s hockey coach Mike Hastings.
The two MSU assistants remained on the job after former coach Troy Jutting was reassigned and Hastings was hired in mid-April. They continued to recruit and oversee offseason workouts and activities by the team’s current players, all the while waiting for the new coach to hire his staff.
Impressed by their work through the transition, Hastings opted to retain both Blue and Knott for the upcoming season.
“Professionally and personally, I really take seriously who I’m surrounded by,” Hastings said on Tuesday. “It takes awhile to get to know someone and not just job-related.
“In our business, you need trustworthy, loyal, honest, hard-working people, and that just gives you a start. I needed to get to know if they’d be a good fit.”
Hastings announced the hirings to attendees of the Dan Meyer Golf Classic, a fundraiser for the MSU Blue Line Club, on Monday night at the Mankato Golf Club.
Blue, a former Minnesota State defenseman and captain, has been part of the hockey staff since 2000, Jutting’s first season as head coach. He had a full season remaining on his contract when Hastings was hired. Knott was hired at MSU prior to the 2009-10 season, and his most-recent contract expired on June 30.
Hastings said he was not pressured by the university to keep either coach.
“These guys have a track record,” Hastings said. “I’ve crossed paths with Darren and Todd in the past, and I did my homework. ... I feel good about them, really good about them.”
While there will be “a lot of crossover,” with various coaching duties, Hastings said Knott will be the Mavericks’ primary recruiter, while Blue will be on the bench with Hastings more often.
“With both of them, they don’t mind working hard,” Hastings said. “Work ethic is not an issue. ...
“Both of them are invested in the program and want to see it do well. And they’re willing to do the work to make sure that happens.”
Hastings, who was hired on April 14, said plans are in the works to add a fulltime director of hockey operations position to the staff. That job has been a graduate-assistant position, most recently held by Garrett Lind.
While some players are already in town, all of Minnesota State’s players are set to arrive in Mankato by Sunday, Hastings said.
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