USA Hockey announced today that Dave Ogrean will retire as its executive director on August 1, 2017.
From the press release:
A national search for a new executive director will begin immediately.
Ogrean has served as executive director of USA Hockey since August 1, 2005, and also held the position from 1993-99. He began his professional career with the organization as its director of public relations from 1978-80.
“We’ve had someone in Dave Ogrean who has helped establish USA Hockey as truly one of the preeminent national governing bodies in America during his time as executive director,” said the organization’s president, Jim Smith.
“After initially discussing an extension of his contract last fall, he came to me in late November and shared that he felt the better time to pass the baton would be sooner rather than later, affording his successor the opportunity to fill the senior staff vacancies that will occur in the near future due to retirements.”
Ogrean signed a four-year contract extension in 2013. He’ll retire with the future looking extremely bright for hockey in the United States.
In June, Auston Matthews was drafted first overall.
The year before, Jack Eichel went second overall.
Meanwhile, Patrick Kane is the reigning Hart Trophy recipient, and the United States is the reigning gold-medal winner at the World Juniors.
There have been disappointments, to be sure, like this summer’s World Cup, where the Americans went winless and failed to advance to the knockout stage.
But the United States is now an undisputed hockey power. Only Canada produces more NHLers, and the gap is closing.
