Michigan State Mourns the Passing of Dan Sturges
1/19/2026 4:10:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
Michigan State mourns the passing of Director of Hockey Operations Dan Sturges. Sturges passed away unexpectedly Monday morning.
"Dan Sturges was a beloved member of the Michigan State hockey family, and our entire community is stunned at this devastating news" said Michigan State head hockey coach Adam Nightingale. "He was an adoring father and a devoted husband, and our hearts break for his wife Becky and their sons. As a player and later as a member of our staff, Dan loved being a Spartan and worked every day to make the program the best it possibly could be. His passion, dedication and impact will leave a lasting legacy."
"The prayers of the Michigan State athletics family are with the Sturges family and the entire Spartan hockey program," said J Batt, Michigan State University Vice President and Director of Athletics. "He cared deeply about the student-athletes and staff in the hockey program, and built genuine relationships with people throughout the department. To lose him so suddenly is a shock to all. The department's top priority at this time will be providing supportive resources to members of the hockey program and athletic department as they grieve."
Sturges has worked with Michigan State hockey since returning to the program in 2019. A Spartan student-athlete from 2005-09, he was a member of the 2007 National Championship team. During that time, the Verona, Wisconsin, native was highly involved with Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS) where he spearheaded several community service initiatives, including co-founding the hockey team's "Shoot for a Cure" campaign. He is one of 19 members of his family to attend Michigan State, including his father (John) and brother (AJ) who were hockey letterwinners.
Before returning to MSU in 2019, Sturges was at the University of Colorado where he coached two of the school's ACHA programs. Sturges was head coach of Colorado's ACHA DII team for three seasons from 2016-19 before being elevated to the top job of the ACHA DI program in spring 2019. He was named the Big Mountain Hockey Conference Coach of the Year in 2018 while leading his team to the league's playoff title.
Simultaneously with his head coaching duties at Colorado, Sturges also served as an assistant coach from 2017-19 at Valor Christian High School where he worked under former Spartan assistant and Denver head coach George Gwozdecky.
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