The University of Denver will keep David Carle for now.

Carle, the highly successful Pioneers hockey coach, signed a multi-year contract extension with the program, the school said Monday.

“We are thrilled to have David continue to lead the exceptional legacy that is Denver hockey,” DU athletics director Josh Berlo said. “His dedication and passion are second to none, and we look forward to furthering our partnership and building upon our NCAA-record 10 national championships as the most accomplished college hockey program all-time.”

The reworked contract comes at a strategic time when Carle has interviewed for and been connected to several NHL vacancies after guiding the Pioneers to NCAA Frozen Four berths in 2019, 2022, 2024 and 2025 across seven full seasons as coach.

At 35 years old, Carle has 179 wins at DU. His winning percentage of .694 is tops among Pios coaches and his teams are 12-3 in the NCAA tournament with a pair of national titles. Carle last week reportedly withdrew from consideration for the Chicago Blackhawks job and reportedly has talked with the St. Louis Blues and New Jersey Devils, among others, either with earnest interest or as networking opportunities. Carle is a wanted man.

“I am honored to have the university’s support for our hockey program over the last seven years and into the future,” Carle said. “Without their support and the support of our fans, alumni and donors, nothing that we have accomplished would have been possible. The resources we have established have had a direct impact on the daily lives of current and future Pioneer hockey student-athletes, and we continue to raise the bar for success with these commitments.”

As part of the extension, Carle agreed to a multi-year gift pledge that will benefit the hockey program and will make him the first Pios coach to become a member of the university’s “Gold Standard Society,” which is set aside for “donors that pledge a minimum of $50,000 to DU Athletics across a maximum of a four-year period, with at least $10,000 of that allocated to the Athletics Excellence Fund.”

Carle’s contributions will go directly to the Athletics Excellence Fund and the Murray Armstrong Hockey Student-Athlete Enhancement Fund, which helps pay for the hockey program’s charter travel, nutrition and weight room expenses and much more.

“Our program is tremendously grateful for the support we have received from our fans, alumni and donors. In today’s changing college athletic landscape, we are grateful for philanthropy and season-ticket holder support more than ever to help our program stay at the highest level,” Carle said. “The legacy of Denver hockey wouldn’t be where it is without the foundation laid by coach Murray Armstrong. My family and I are honored to support the Murray Armstrong Fund and become members of the Gold Standard Society with the signing of this agreement.”

The interest from the NHL will continue for Carle, who became the youngest coach in NCAA history to win multiple NCAA titles (age 34 last year). For now he’s committing to the program  he and his older brother, Matt, have helped lead the renaissance for since the turn of the century.

The Pioneers have won five of their NCAA-leading 10 national titles, reached eight Frozen Fours and show 19 NCAA tournament appearances and 623 total victories since the 1999-2000 season.

“I think people really underestimate when it comes to Denver is their ability to create teams and a lot of the individual success comes with that, but when you look at those other big-time programs throughout the years, their concentration is just turning out individuals and at Denver, their concentration is turning out teams, and it’s really shown the last few years with their success,” said Adrian Veideman, a two-time national champ at DU and the 2006-07 team captain.

That’s expected to continue as long as Carle remains at DU, a partnership that doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon.

“Denver is home for me and my family,” Carle said.