Centennial High School welcomes Dan Charleston as the new Varsity Boys’ Hockey Head Coach.

Dan Charleston has been named the next head coach to lead the Centennial High School Boys’ Hockey program. “Dan brings over 15 years of high school hockey coaching experience with him, but more importantly, his coaching philosophy and program vision aligns with the Centennial School District Strategic Roadmap,” says Matt St. Martin, Centennial High School Director of Athletics and Activities. “Dan believes that the values learned from participating in education based athletics allow student-athletes to grow as individuals on and off the ice.” Charleston stated, “My goal is to build more than a hockey team. It is to build a culture where players are challenged to become better hockey players, better teammates and better people.”

Most recently, Charleston served as a member of the Benilde-St. Margaret’s boys’ varsity hockey coaching staff. This was his second stint at his alma mater as he was also with BSM for the 2011-2012 season when they captured the MSHSL Class AA Boys Hockey State Championship. Charleston served as the head coach of the Robbinsdale Armstrong boys’ varsity hockey team from 2012-2014 and head coach for the AC Wings (Armstrong-Cooper Cooperative) 2014-2025. During that tenure he amassed 113 wins.

Dan Charleston was a member of Benilde-St. Margaret’s 2001 MSHSL Class A State Championship team, where he recorded 20 goals and 42 points and was named to the MSHSL Class A All-Tournament Team as a sophomore. Charleston went on to play four seasons in the USHL, recording 42 goals and 131 points in 170 games. He then continued his career at the NCAA Division I level at the University of Nebraska Omaha in the CCHA, where he became the program’s fifth all-time leading scorer with 116 points in 159 games.

Following his collegiate career, Charleston signed with the Detroit Red Wings’ AHL organization and continued playing professionally in the AHL, Finnish Elite League, and ECHL. In 57 ECHL games, he recorded 18 goals and 66 points. Two of his professional seasons were spent within the New Jersey Devils organization.

Regarding his new role, Charleston stated, “I am extremely honored and blessed to have been given the opportunity to lead and become a part of the Cougar family. I understand the responsibility that comes with this position, and I will never take the opportunity to coach these young men for granted. Coaching is not a right—it is a privilege, and one that I am truly grateful for. My goal is to build upon the rich history of Centennial Boys Hockey while continuing to lay the foundation for its future. I have tremendous respect and gratitude for all those who came before me and helped lay the bricks of Centennial Hockey.With gratitude, excitement, and enthusiasm, I cannot wait to get started and begin building the next chapter of Cougar Hockey together.”