Flyers' Hakstol: 'I'm not going to pretend that I do' have NHL experience

Philadelphia Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol has yet to coach at the NHL level, but he's not worried about it.

The Flyers shocked many by hiring Hakstol, plucking the 47-year-old out of the University of North Dakota's program. Though he might be unknown to many, the team's new bench boss is confident in his abilities.

"I don't have experience at this level, so I'm not going to pretend that I do," Hakstol told NHL.com's Brian Compton. "But I do have a great deal of confidence in what we do, in what my philosophies are and that they're going to be successful here. … It's going to take an awful lot of communication. I have to get to know our players and I want them to get to know me."

Hakstol helped North Dakota reach the Frozen Four seven times and was twice named National Collegiate Hockey Conference coach of the year. So, though his NHL experience might be lacking, he is no stranger to success.

He's apparently not kidding about getting to know his players, either: Hakstol flew to the Czech Republic just to have dinner with forward Jakub Voracek in June.