CHICAGO, Ill – The United States Hockey League today (August 13) announced Lenny Hofmann has been named Manager, USHL Player Development.
Hofmann replaces Rick Comley, Jr., who recently became Assistant General Manager and Director of Scouting for the Omaha Lancers. Comley spent the last three seasons with the League and was instrumental in the launch of USHL Player Development and the highly-successful USHL Combines. Hofmann will work directly with Adam Micheletti, the new USHL Director of Hockey Operations, in continuing to build the League’s scouting and outreach efforts to youth hockey players. The department functions as both a service to USHL Member Clubs in their scouting efforts for elite young talent and as the educational arm of the League to keep prospective players and parents informed about the American Development Model and the path through youth hockey to the USHL.
Hofmann has roots in the USHL as he played for the Dubuque Fighting Saints during the 1999-2000 season before embarking on his collegiate career. He also spent the last three seasons in the League as assistant coach with the Tri-City Storm. In addition to his coaching duties, he was the team’s Director of Recruiting. He helped recruit and develop a number of Storm players, including Trevor Moore, Michael Vecchione, and Tim Bonner, each of whom had successful two-year USHL careers and begin their NCAA Division I careers this fall.
The Minnesota native played college hockey at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota (2000-04) and was an all-conference selection during his senior year at the Division III school. He began his coaching career at St. Mary’s upon graduation and spent four more years with the program before joining the coaching staff at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota in 2008. Hofmann helped the program compile a 20-7-5 record in conference play over two seasons (2008-10).
“We’re privileged to have Lenny Hofmann join the staff of the USHL and our Hockey Operations group,” said USHL President and Commissioner Skip Prince. “The League’s scouting, recruitment and educational initiatives, and the introduction of top young players to the ‘USHL Way,” has become one of our most critical functions. Thanks and congratulations are in order for Rick Comley as well, who prior to joining the Omaha Lancers staff this summer put in place the organization that Lenny will now take to the next level.”
Hofmann will take a lead role for USHL Player Development as several key events take place in the coming weeks, including the USHL Western Shootout in San Jose and youth tournaments associated with the USHL Atlantic Challenge in New Jersey and USHL Fall Classic East in Indianapolis. He will also attend numerous tournaments and showcases throughout the year to begin scouting and evaluating players for the 2014 USHL Combines.
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL now prepares to enter its 12th season as the nation’s only Tier I junior hockey league in 2013-14. A record 32 players were chosen in the 2013 NHL Draft and more than 300 players on team rosters last season have committed to NCAA Division I schools, further establishing the USHL as the world’s foremost producer of junior hockey talent. For more information, visit us on the web at www.USHL.com or visit the League’s social media platforms, including Facebook (www.facebook.com/ushlhockey), twitter (www.twitter.com/ushl), and YouTube (www.youtube.com/ushlinteractive). Fans can also watch USHL action all season long, live or on-demand via FASTHockey (ushl.fasthockey.com).