David Carle did, in fact, interview with an NHL team — just not the one that was reported.

While ESPN reported last week Carle was one of 10 candidates to interview for the coaching vacancy with the New Jersey Devils, Carle saw things different. He never felt his conversation with the Devils was a formal interview.

“Did we talk about my plans and my future? Yeah, we did, a little bit,” Carle said Thursday. “But I don’t think it was an interview and nor should it be taken that way.”

Carle confirmed he had a formal interview with a different NHL team, although he didn’t specify which of the eight other teams that had vacancies in this year’s cycle.

The 34-year-old Carle said he interviewed “three-to-four” weeks ago before pulling his name from contention, reaffirming his commitment to the program he’s led to two national championships in his six years as head coach.

“I love being here,” Carle said. “We have all the resources to be able to continue to have success. We’ve got great alignment from our board to our chancellor to our athletic director. We’re very well taken care of. This is, I view, a top-five job in all of North America when it comes to hockey. I’m not in a rush to leave here.”

Carle’s praise for the DU job shouldn’t come as a surprise. His ties to the university are two decades long. His older brother, Matt, led the Pioneers to back-to-back NCAA titles in 2004-05 before playing 11 years in the NHL.

David was also committed to play at DU before being diagnosed with a heart condition at the 2008 NHL draft combine that forced him to retire from hockey. He was an assistant coach as a student under George Gwozdecky and returned two years after graduating to be an assistant for Jim Montgomery, ultimately taking over as the head coach when Montgomery left for the NHL in 2018.

Under his leadership, the Pios have become the first program to reach 10 national titles, something he’s named as a goal.

“I owe a lot to this university,” Carle said. “We continue to drive the bus forward. We set a new record and we intend on breaking that new record.”

Carle said an NHL job isn’t his priority right now.

“I can do this another five to 10 years and still be the youngest coach in the NHL,” Carle said. “Does it mean I’m not gonna pick up a phone and listen and have conversations with people? That’s my job. I talked to a team two years ago and I think that conversation helped us land a player this summer. It’s my job to be plugged in and have conversations with people at higher levels. Is it a dream? Maybe someday. But today, I can’t say that.”

The NHL likely will continue calling.

Not only did Carle win a second national title in April. He also led USA Hockey to a gold medal at the World Junior Championships in January, and he’s set to coach the U.S. at the 2025 World Juniors as well.

For Carle, it’s all about the right situation.

“Those are a lot of the factors that I think about,” Carle said. “You throw in a team that has an opportunity to win, a great GM, the right term, the right dollar value, I have to listen to that. If it’s a life-changing opportunity, I have to listen.”

He listened, though he’s still in the Mile High City with no intentions of leaving soon.

“I’ll tell you right now, that hasn’t come up and Denver’s a great place to live and raise a family,” Carle said.