Bradley L. Berry (born April 1, 1965) is a Canadian former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

player who played 241 games in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

. He played for the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...

Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...

, and

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and were founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minne ...

. He is currently the head coach for the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...

of the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

NCHC.

Playing career

Berry joined the then Fighting Sioux in 1983, playing in a limited role in his first season. For his second year with North Dakota Berry saw his points total more than triple and was included on Canada's world junior team that won a gold medal. Unfortunately the Fighting Sioux slipped to fourth place in the standings and weren't able to earn a bid into the NCAA tournament. After another year with a similar result Berry forwent his senior season and turned pro with the

who had drafted him in the second round of the 1983 draft. In doing so, Berry missed out on North Dakota's National Championship the following year. Berry finished the 1986 season playing 16 games for the Jets (3 in the playoffs) and suited up for a further 52 matches in his first full campaign as a professional. In 1987-88 Berry wasn't producing like the Jets were expecting so he spent a 10-game stint in the minors followed by an additional 38 the next year. By 1989-90 Berry was down to 12 NHL games and rather than see those dwindle even further he headed to Sweden to play for

Brynäs IF Brynäs IF is a Swedish ice hockey team from Gävle. The club currently plays in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), the top tier of ice hockey in Sweden. The club has played in the top-tier league since 1960, longer than any other team. History ...

in 1990. After a season in the Swedish Elite League Berry returned to North America to play for the

Kalamazoo Wings The Kalamazoo Wings, nicknamed the K-Wings, are a mid-level professional ice hockey team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A member of the ECHL's Western Conference, Central Division, they play in the 5,113-seat Wings Event Center. They are the affiliate ...

. He earned a brief call-up to the parent

at the end of the season and stuck around for 63 contests in 1992-93. When the team moved south to Dallas in 1993 so did Berry's NHL career and he only saw 8 games with the Stars that season before being sent down to the minors. Berry would continue to play for Dallas' farm team until his retirement in 1999.

Coaching career

After hanging up his skates, Berry returned to North Dakota as an assistant coach just after the team had won its seventh National Title. Berry stayed with the team for six seasons before taking an AHL assistant coaching position with the

Manitoba Moose The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and a member of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre, the home arena of its parent club, Winnipeg Jets ...

. After a two-year term, Berry was a scout for the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce B ...

for another two seasons before returning behind the bench as an assistant for the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...

. In his second year with Columbus, the Jackets had a disastrous season that saw head coach

Scott Arniel Scott William Arniel (born September 17, 1962) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current associate coach of the National Hockey League's Winnipeg Jets. Previously, he was the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets and assoc ...

fired at the midway point. While another assistant, Todd Richards, was given the reins, Berry left and returned once more to

Grand Forks Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...

for his second stint as an assistant with his alma mater. After three years Berry was named head coach for the University of North Dakota when

Dave Hakstol David Hakstol (born July 30, 1968) is a Canadian ice hockey coach, currently serving as the head coach of the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). A native of Warburg, Alberta, Hakstol was the head coach for Sioux City Musketeers ...

was hired to coach of the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...

. In his premier season Berry became the first coach in NCAA history to lead his team to a National Title in his inaugural campaign.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Head coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Brad 1965 births Brynäs IF players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Sweden Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey defencemen Columbus Blue Jackets coaches Dallas Stars players Kalamazoo Wings (1974–2000) players Living people Manitoba Moose coaches Minnesota North Stars players Moncton Hawks players North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's ice hockey coaches North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's ice hockey players People from Camrose County Sherwood Park Crusaders players St. Albert Saints players Vancouver Canucks scouts Winnipeg Jets (1979–1996) draft picks Winnipeg Jets (1979–1996) players