About Danton Cole
Born 1967. Danton Cole is an American ice hockey player and ice hockey coach.
Danton Edward Cole (born January 10, 1967) is an American former professional hockey player and the former head coach of the Michigan State Spartans men's hockey team. He had guided the USA Hockey Under-18 team to a pair of gold medals and a bronze medal at the IIHF World U18 Championships during his seven seasons at the helm from 2010 to 2017. As a player, he spent seven seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Winnipeg Jets, Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders and Chicago Blackhawks.
Playing career Cole was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the 6th round, 123rd overall in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He then went to Michigan State University where he played for 4 years, scoring 62 points in 47 games his senior year there. Cole then reported to the Moncton Hawks of the AHL for the 1989β1990 season, playing in 80 games. That year he also made his NHL debut with the Jets, scoring 2 points in 2 games. The next year he earned a full-time spot with the Jets and played there for another 2 years.
Prior to the 1992β1993 season Cole was traded to the newly formed Tampa Bay Lightning and became part of the original Lightning roster. While with the Lightning Cole enjoyed his best season in the NHL, when he scored 43 points in 81 games during the 1993β1994 season. The 1994β1995 season saw Cole play the majority of the season with the Lightning before being traded to the New Jersey Devils. That year the Devils won the Stanley Cup and Cole had his name engraved on the Cup.
Following the Stanley Cup win Cole played the majority of the 1995β1996 season in the IHL. He also played with the New York Islanders and Chicago Blackhawks but saw only 12 games the whole season. This would be the last time Cole played in the NHL. He then split a year playing in Germany and the Grand Rapids Griffins, followed by two full years with the Griffins. Cole then played 2 games with the Griffins during the 1999β2000 season before officially announcing his retirement.
Coaching career Immediately after retiring, Cole joined the Griffins as an assistant coach. He stayed there until the 2001β2002 season when he coached the Muskegon Fury of the UHL for one season, leading them to a championship win. He then joined the Griffins again, this time as head coach, and coached there until he was replaced midseason during the 2004β2005 season. Cole was assistant coach at Bowling Green State University during 2005 to 2007. Cole was the head coach at the University of Alabama in Huntsville starting with the 2007β2008 season. As head coach of the UAH Hockey team, in the 2009β2010 season, Cole brought UAH to its second ever appearance into the NCAA tournament by winning the CHA conference tournament in over time 3β2. Following the 2009β10 season, Cole resigned as UAH's head coach to accept a coaching position with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program.
On April 11, 2017, he was appointed head coach at his alma mater, Michigan State. On April 12, 2022, he was fired by Michigan State. During five seasons as head coach, he led the Spartans to a 58β101β12 record.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1983β84 Fraser Flags GLJHL β β β β β β β β β β 1984β85 Aurora Tigers OJHL 41 51 44 95 91 β β β β β 1985β86 Michigan State University CCHA 43 11 10 21 22 β β β β β 1986β87 Michigan State University CCHA 44 9 15 24 16 β β β β β 1987β88 Michigan State University CCHA 46 20 36 56 38 β β β β β 1988β89 Michigan State University CCHA 47 29 33 62 46 β β β β β 1989β90 Moncton Hawks AHL 80 31 42 73 18 β β β β β 1989β90 Winnipeg Jets NHL 2 1 1 2 0 β β β β β 1990β91 Moncton Hawks AHL 3 1 1 2 0 β β β β β 1990β91 Winnipeg Jets NHL 66 13 11 24 24 β β β β β 1991β92 Winnipeg Jets NHL 52 7 5 12 32 β β β β β 1992β93 Atlanta Knights IHL 1 1 0 1 2 β β β β β 1992β93 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 67 12 15 27 23 β β β β β 1993β94 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 81 20 23 43 32 β β β β β 1994β95 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 26 3 3 6 6 β β β β β 1994β95 New Jersey Devils NHL 12 1 2 3 8 1 0 0 0 0 1995β96 Utah Grizzlies IHL 34 28 15 43 22 β β β β β 1995β96 Indianapolis Ice IHL 32 9 12 21 20 5 1 5 6 8 1995β96 New York Islanders NHL 10 1 0 1 0 β β β β β 1995β96 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 2 0 0 0 0 β β β β β 1996β97 Krefeld Pinguine DEL 28 7 12 19 14 β β β β β 1996β97 Grand Rapids Griffins IHL 35 8 18 26 24 5 3 1 4 2 1997β98 Grand Rapids Griffins IHL 81 13 13 26 36 β β β β β 1998β99 Grand Rapids Griffins IHL 72 14 11 25 50 β β β β β 1999β00 Grand Rapids Griffins IHL 2 0 0 0 0 β β β β β IHL totals 257 73 69 142 154 13 5 7 12 10 NHL totals 318 58 60 118 125 1 0 0 0 0
International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 1990 United States WC 10 2 1 3 6 1991 United States WC 10 6 4 10 14 1994 United States WC 5 1 1 2 2 Senior totals 25 9 6 15 22
Head coaching record
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Danton Cole's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Danton Cole?
American ice hockey player
When was Danton Cole born?
Danton Cole was born on 10 January 1967 in Pontiac.
What is Danton Cole's occupation?
Danton Cole is an ice hockey player and ice hockey coach.
What nationality is Danton Cole?
Danton Cole is American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Danton Cole. https://biography.guide/danton-cole/
MLA: "Danton Cole." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/danton-cole/.
Chicago: "Danton Cole." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/danton-cole/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 Β· Spot an error? Report a correction.
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