Brad Berry nearing a return to the hockey coaching world
· Yahoo Sports
Jul. 18—GRAND FORKS — Brad Berry is nearing a return to the hockey coaching world.
The Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League are finalizing a deal to make Berry their next head coach, according to two sources.
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The Phantoms have been searching for a replacement for Ryan Ward, who is expected to join Harvard University as an assistant.
The Youngstown job quickly garnered interest from several veteran coaches, but the Phantoms zeroed in on Berry this weekend.
A deal is expected to be finalized next week, barring any unforeseen snags.
Berry, 61, made his mark in the coaching world at UND, where he served as the program's head coach for a decade from 2015-25 and had two separate stints as an assistant (2000-06, 2012-15).
Berry led UND to the 2016 NCAA national title in his first season as head coach and won five Penrose Cups as National Collegiate Hockey Conference regular-season champions in 10 years.
He was named the NCHC's Herb Brooks Coach of the Year four times. He won the Spencer Penrose Award as the national coach of the year in 2020.
UND athletic director Bill Chaves fired Berry in March 2025 after the Fighting Hawks missed the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years and the fourth time during his tenure.
UND hired Berry's top assistant, Dane Jackson, as his successor.
Berry was out of coaching last season while he remained on UND's payroll. He had one year left on his contract when he was fired. The school owed him $493,500 in a buyout.
Youngstown has been one of the USHL's successful teams in recent years.
The Phantoms won the Clark Cup as USHL champions in 2023, beating Fargo in the final. Last season, they won the Anderson Cup as the USHL's best regular-season team before losing to Madison in the playoffs.
Three Phantoms players were selected in the 2026 NHL Draft — Michigan State-bound forward Jack Hextall went in the first round (Calgary), UMass-bound goaltender Tobias Trejbal went in the second (Calgary) and Ohio State-bound forward Evan Jardine went in the fourth (Columbus).
Berry played at UND from 1983-86 before embarking on a 13-year professional career, which included NHL stints with the Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota North Stars and Dallas Stars.
He began coaching at UND in 2000-01 as an assistant under Dean Blais.
Berry left UND in 2006 to become an assistant coach with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League. Berry also worked as a scout for the Vancouver Canucks and as an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
He returned to UND in 2012 as an assistant under Dave Hakstol. Berry became head coach after Hakstol left to become the head coach of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers.
Berry has never worked in the USHL, but his son, Bauer, played two full seasons for Muskegon. The USHL was a frequent recruiting ground for UND during Berry's tenure.