Project Stanley Podcast

Murray signed with the Oilers in June 2017, after spending the previous six seasons with the ECHL’s Alaska Aces. The Toronto native has a long history of success as a player and coach. During his tenure in Anchorage, Murray led Alaska to three consecutive Brabham Cups with the best regular season record in the ECHL from 2011-12 to 2013-14. The Aces captured the Kelly Cup that third season.

The 51-year-old began his coaching career in 2003 as Assistant for the AHL’s Providence Bruins, where he stayed in that role for five seasons. Murray was promoted to Head Coach in Providence in 2008, and spent the next three seasons there before heading to Alaska to coach the Aces. In 503 career ECHL games coached, he has compiled a 262-179-62 record.

Murray was drafted in the third round by the Washington Capitals at the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, and enjoyed a 16-year playing career. He played in over 1,000 AHL games throughout his career, and dressed in over 100 NHL games split between the Capitals, Winnipeg Jets and Phoenix Coyotes. In January 2017, Murray was inducted into the American Hockey League’s Hall of Fame.

Mark enters his 19th season with the Sarnia Sting and his seventh as the Assistant General Manager.

Mark joined the Sting in May 2000 and previously served as the club’s director of Public Relations and Game-day Operations.

In his role as Assistant General Manager, Mark handles Hockey Administration for the club including Player Contracts and Player Immigration. Mark also coordinates all Team Travel.

Cam Russell has been the General Manager of the Mooseheads since 2008. Formerly the Head Coach, he moved his attention solely to the role of General Manager early in the 2010-11 season and was the architect of the Memorial Cup winning team in 2012-2013.

The Cole Harbour native enjoyed a successful playing career in the QMJHL with the Hull Olympiques where he won two President Cup championships under coaches Alain Vigneault and the late Pat Burns. He was drafted by Chicago in the 3rd round (50th overall) in 1987 and spent 10 seasons in the NHL as a Defenseman with the Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche. Russell was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

Trevor Georgie is an accomplished sports and entertainment professional who has enjoyed leadership roles on the property, client and agency sides of the business.

Georgie was named the president of the Sea Dogs in January, 2016, making him the youngest in the CHL, and added the general manager’s role in August.

In his rookie year as GM, Georgie put his fingerprints on the Sea Dogs by acquiring Callum Booth, Julien Gauthier, and Simon Bourque, as well as trading former QMJHL 1st overall pick Luke Green at the Christmas trade period.

Prior to joining the Sea Dogs, the native of Mississauga, Ontario, was the senior manager of consulting at Wasserman Media Group, one of the world’s largest sports agencies. His career has led him to work for, and partner with, like-minded brands across the sports and entertainment landscape, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC, Florida Gators, PGA Tour events, and JUNO Awards.

Georgie believes in continuous improvement and is engaged in Harvard University’s extension program. He holds an MBA from the Odette School of Business at the University of Windsor as well as an HBA in Digital Enterprise Management from the University of Toronto.

He can be followed on Twitter @georgietrev

A native of Plymouth, Michigan, Sommariva worked for the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 2006-2014, first serving as an assistant coach and then as Assistant General Manager from 2010-14. Following his role in major juniors, he spent a year with the Toronto Maple Leafs as an amateur scout for the 2014-15 season. As the Director of Scouting, Sommariva oversees the entire Gamblers scouting staff.

Tim was hired by the Blazers full-time in July 2009 to take on the newly created role after spending the last 6 seasons as the team’s part-time video coach. His main duties include being a liaison for media and the team, updating and maintaining the website, organizing team travel as well as doubling as the hockey club’s video coach.

Tim grew up in Regina and moved to Kamloops in 2001. He graduated from Norkam Secondary in 2004 and later attended Thompson Rivers University where he obtained a Business Administration degree graduating with Honours in April 2009. He recently completed a Masters of Sports Leadership from Northeastern University in September 2013.

This is the 11th season Tim has worked for the hockey club, and the 5th season in his current position.

Ryan Hardy joined the Steel prior to the 2018-2019 season. Hardy oversees the Steel’s hockey operations department including scouting and player development, coaching and the team’s exclusive partnership with Belfry Hockey.

Over his tenure with Chicago, the Steel have compiled a 78-28-5-0 record, the most wins in the league over that stretch. The Steel won the 2020 Anderson Cup, the first in franchise history, after setting the team record for wins in a season with a 41-7-1-0 record (83 pts). Hardy was awarded the General Manager of the Year in the USHL by his peers after his first season in 2018-19. 

The Madison, Conn., native joined the Steel from the Boston Bruins (NHL) where he spent two seasons scouting amateur prospects across North America. 

Prior to joining the Bruins, Hardy spent parts of four seasons (2013-2017) with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, serving as Director of Player Personnel, Assistant Director of Player Personnel and Regional Scouting Manager during that time. Hardy and his colleagues were responsible for building the 2017-2018 NTDP team that completed the most successful USHL season in the history of the program, finishing in first place in the Eastern Conference and winning a program-record 41 games in league play. During his time with USA Hockey, Hardy’s teams won the Gold Medal at the IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship in 2014, 2015 and 2017, and over 60 program alumni were selected in the NHL Entry Draft. 

In addition to his work in scouting and player personnel, Hardy has coaching experience at the NCAA level with Sacred Heart University and Williams College, and at the junior hockey level with the Springfield Jr. Blues (NAHL). A Sacred Heart University graduate, Hardy currently resides in St. Charles. 

Wes Wolfe enters his fourth season with the Otters as an assistant coach and has already built an impressive resume early in his coaching career, including an OHL Championship in his first year in the league. The 29-year-old has extended his reach into the hockey community with guest roles at various hockey clinics and schools, including the Bruce Boudreau Golden Horseshoe Hockey School. Wolfe also created and operates the Niagara Hockey Coaches Seminar, a now annual event that in 2019 saw over 80 coaches from more than 50 hockey organizations attend to learn and share best practices in growing players. The event also serves as a fundraiser as attendees are encouraged to bring non-perishable food donations that has seen hundreds of pounds of food donated to Community Care St. Catharines. 

Before moving to Erie, Wolfe served as head coach and assistant general manager of the St. Catharines Falcons of the GOJHL during the 2015-16 year, where he led the team to a second-place record of 33-12-5 in the regular season and a Golden Horseshoe Conference Final berth. His background in analytical data systems will further advance the team’s player development reputation.

Prior to joining St. Catharines, Wolfe held head coaching positions with the Pelham Pirates of the GOJHL, and the Niagara Falls 1997 age group Minor and Major Midget AAA teams. He also has served as a coach with the OHL/OHF Program of Excellence and the Horseshoe Prospects Elite Spring Program.

The winningest coach in New England prep school hockey history. Gardner has been coaching at Avon Old Farms since the 1975-76 season when he took over a developing team and turned it into a perennial contender in New England prep hockey. Gardner has won eight New England Division I championships and ten Founders League championships. His 800th win as a prep coach came in November 2020. John coached multiple USA national team participants, including Brian Leetch '86 considered by many as the best American-born defenseman, and Jon Quick '05, who won two Stanley Cups as the starting goal-keeper for the L.A. Kings. John has coached 40+ players who have gone on to play professionally. 

RJ Gicewicz is from Orchard Park, New York, 20 minutes south of Buffalo, New York. He attended Nichols School in Buffalo, where he played Prep A varsity hockey for 3 years, beginning his freshmen year. He also played football and baseball while attending Nichols. During the summers going into his sophomore and junior seasons, he was selected to represent the United States at both the 5 Nations Tournament and Ivan Hlinka Tournament, respectively. Gicewicz was selected as an assistant captain his junior year at Nichols, and was awarded all-tournament team selections at both the Northwood Prep and St. Francis Prep Tournaments. He was drafted in the third round to the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL Entry Draft the summer leading into his junior year at Nichols and left to play for the Gamblers for his senior season. 

Gicewicz spent a total of 2 years with the Gamblers, before heading to St. Lawrence University on a full athletic scholarship in the fall of 2015. Although recruited as an athlete, Gicewicz was forced to retire his junior season due to chronic neck injuries and repetitive head injuries. He spent 2 years as a student assistant coach, helping with team statistics, video scouting, off ice training, mental training, on-ice skills, and most importantly as a liaison between the coaching staff and players. He was also awarded the Terry Slater Perseverance Award two times, which is ‘presented to the Saint player who, when faced with a significant personal challenge, performed with distinction and conducted himself with grace, thereby bringing credit to himself and the team.’ At graduation in the spring of 2019, Gicewicz was selected to speak on behalf of all student-athletes based on his 4-year experience at St. Lawrence University. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Business.