Scott Sandelin

Who is Scott Sandelin?

Scott Alan Sandelin is a retired American 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. It was a 3-2 overtime game against the University of Michigan at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He 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. His senior year he was chosen as a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, ALL-WCHA First Team, All American Second team, and the MVP of the Fighting Sioux. His NHL career included seven seasons, Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, and his home state team the Minnesota North Stars. His career was cut short with continuous injuries but managed four assists in 25 games. His playing years also included stints with the US World Junior Championships team in 1984 and World Championships in 1986. In 1993 he started his coaching career with the Fargo-Moorhead Junior Kings of the Junior Elite Hockey League until 1994. From there he went to work on the North Dakota staff from 1994 to 2000. The first three as a recruiter and assisting with games and practices. The last three were spent as an associate head coach to Dean Blais, now with the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks. In his years with Fighting Sioux, they went on to make four NCAA from, win two National Champions in, three WCHA regular season champions from and two WCHA conference tournament champions in. On March 30, 2000, Sandelin accepted the job as the head coach of the University of Minneasota- Duluth Bulldog for long time Bulldog coach Mike Sertich. Has head coach he has led the Bulldogs to six 22+ win seasons, four NCAA tournament appearances in. In he knocked off his former North Dakota team to become the WCHA Final Five Champions. Then in the Bulldogs made a run in the NCAA tournament to become the 2011 NCAA Champions, beating Yale, Union, Notre Dame and Michigan for the title. Both times the NCAA Frozen Four has been held at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, a Minnesota team has one in overtime, University of Minnesota in beating the University of Maine 4-3 and the Bulldogs in against the University of Michigan 3-2. He made the Bulldogs the second D 1 collegiate team in Minnesota to take home the Frozen Four Title, the Gophers and the Bulldogs. In he was named the WCHA Coach of the year and the National Coach of the year posting a 28-13-4 record and leading the Bulldogs to a third place finish in the Frozen Four. Sandelin was 2nd in his Championship year with the Bulldogs. He has also produced two Hobey Baker winners in Junior Lessard in 2004 and Jack Connolly in 2012, along with 15 future NHL hockey players and 17 All WCHA selections. During the stretch he was the US National Junior coach in 2004 and assistant coach in 2011. In the season he led the Bulldogs to a 17 game unbeaten streak, and the first time in Bulldog history at the number one in the USCHO polls for 9 straight weeks.