A Badger in the early 1990s, Mark Strobel arrived back in Madison for the 2017–18 season.
At Wisconsin, Strobel directed UW's national-best power play during the 2020-21 season, leading the country with a 31.6 percent success rate. That helped the Badgers win the 2021 Big Ten regular-season title and earn a No. 1 seed for the NCAA tournament. They also reached the Big Ten tournament championship game.
Strobel came to the Kohl Center after having served two years as the associate head coach for Ohio State. The Buckeyes compiled a 35-30-10 record, going 19-16-5-2 in conference action during his tenure. With Strobel’s help, the program reached the Big Ten Tournament semifinals each year, including in 2016–17, when OSU made its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2008–09. He helped lay the groundwork for OSU’s run to the Frozen Four in 2018.
Strobel began his collegiate coaching career in 1998–99 as a volunteer coach at Colorado College, seeing his squad reach the NCAA quarterfinals.
A St. Paul, Minnesota, native, Strobel spent the 1999–00 season as an assistant for the USHL’s Twin City Vulcans, guiding the team to the 2000 USA Hockey Junior A title.
He then spent a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Minnesota Duluth from 2000–02, followed by two years with Omaha. In both NCAA stops, he again built the foundation for NCAA success, with UMD reaching the NCAA Frozen Four two years later, and Omaha making its first NCAA appearance two years following Strobel’s departure.
The time between coaching assignments saw Strobel serving on the board of directors of the W Club – the lettermen’s organization for UW – and spending time raising gift funds to build LaBahn Arena. He stayed active in hockey at many levels, including serving as a rinkside reporter for the Big Ten Network.
A four-year letterwinner at Wisconsin from 1991–95, Strobel accumulated 21 goals and 62 points from the blue line and served as team captain during both his junior and senior years. He helped UW claim the 1995 WCHA title, earning honorable mention All-WCHA and a spot on the all-tournament team, as well as Wisconsin’s Fenton Kelsey Jr. Most Competitive Award.
In 1993, Strobel skated at the IIHF World Junior Championship, helping Team USA to a fourth-place finish.
The Badgers reached the NCAA tournament in each of his four years, becoming the 1992 NCAA runner up during his rookie campaign.
Strobel graduated with his bachelor’s degree in history in 1996.
The defender was signed by the New Jersey Devils and spent two years in the organization with the AHL Albany River Rats and ECHL Raleigh Icecaps.
Before he became a Badger, Strobel won a state title with Hill Murray High School in 1991.
Strobel has a son, Jack, and a daughter, Greta. He is married to his wife, Lori. His twin brother, Mike, was a forward for the Badgers from 1991–96.
