April 2, 2026






by Adam Wodon/Managing Editor (@chn-adam-wodon)

St. Cloud State alum Nick Oliver has emerged as the leading candidate for the vacant St. Cloud State coaching job.  It’s his job to lose, according to CHN sources.

Oliver played for the Huskies from 2011-15, and was part of the 2013 team that went to the Frozen Four under Bob Motzko. He is currently an assistant coach at Wisconsin. 

Timing of a possible announcement could be tricky, because Oliver’s wife just gave birth to their second child, and because Wisconsin is about to participate in the Frozen Four next week in Las Vegas. 

“We are talking with well known people in the field and they have commitments they need to work out before we can make an announcement,” SCSU president Gregory Tomso said on a radio interview today with WJON in St. Cloud.

Tomso said he interviewed seven candidates for the position.

The position has been open since Brett Larson took the job at Minnesota that was left open by Motzko’s departure.

The other finalist for the position was Jason Herter, who is currently an assistant coach at Western Michigan. Herter was also a finalist for last year’s opening at North Dakota. Herter won national championships as part of the Broncos’ staff, and previously as an assistant coach at Minnesota Duluth.

Prior to Wisconsin, Oliver spent one year as head coach in Fargo of the USHL. He was named USHL Coach of the Year in leading the team to a regular-season championship.

Before that, Oliver was an assistant coach at St. Cloud under Larson, where he helped guide the team to the 2021 national championship game. He also spent time with the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede from 2015-18 as an assistant coach and director of scouting.