I would highly recommend to anyone with a goal of pursuing a career in professional hockey that they give serious consideration in attending the SMWW Hockey Career Conference which is absolutely an incredible value for the return on the investment.
Sheryar Abdullah
Mat Billette
Jacob Gollapalli
The SMWW NHL Draft conference reenergizes you and sets you on a path for sports career success. There is a passion and enthusiasm you just don’t find in most other conferences. My network has expanded greatly since attending the conference, along with my confidence.
TBA - June, 2024
Here is information from last year's NHL Draft Career Conference:
2023 Hockey Career Conference
Register now for our "in-person" SMWW Hockey Career Conference featuring some of the most connected people in hockey. Included with each registration is a 100-level ticket for all 7 rounds of the 2023 NHL Draft at the Bridgestone Arena, the home of the Nashville Predators. For over 15 years we have hosted general managers, scouts, agents, and more to speak at our Hockey Career Conference – and this year, the second hockey conference after the pandemic will be better than ever! We are so excited to see you all!
Our annual Hockey Career Conference provides people of all ages with a desire to work in professional hockey insight and exposure they can't get anywhere else:
- Network with hockey executives
- Receive career guidance from hockey insiders
- Discover who is hiring and what you need to know to get hired
- Connect with other hockey career-minded individuals
- Learn strategies to catapult your career to the next level
- Ask questions of hockey executives, scouts, media members, and more
- 100-level ticket to all 7 rounds over two days to the 2023 NHL Draft
If you want to start a career in hockey or advance your current one, attending the SMWW Hockey Career Conference is the move you need to make. Find out who is hiring and for what roles, network with hockey executives, and learn strategies to catapult your career to the next level.
"Our Hockey Career Conference provides an invaluable opportunity for attendees to learn about careers in the NHL while networking with some of the biggest names in the industry," says Dr. Lynn Lashbrook, president of Sports Management Worldwide. "Agents, GMs, directors of player personnel, and marketing executives all will be present, meeting, and speaking with attendees. This is a unique event!"
Past conference speakers have included team executives like the Pittsburgh Penguins Brian Burke and Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland, powerful sports agents like Pat Brisson and Rick Curran, media members like NHL Network Senior Reporter EJ Hradek, head coaches, personnel executives, scouts, and more.
"SMWW gets the best speakers year after year, who are all able to speak with confidence and experience regarding a wide variety of topics in the hockey industry. Every moment at the conference was time well spent," confirms Dylan Skubel, Ontario Minor Hockey Association referee and linesman.
Montreal becomes the center of the hockey universe as NHL club executives, scouts and coaches will all be present on the NHL Draft floor joined by hundreds of print, television, and radio media. SMWW puts you in the 100 level so you can watch the hockey executives interact and make decisions, while the media reports it to the world. Be in the heart of the action!
Hockey careers start with Sports Management Worldwide, and our annual Hockey Career Conference is a great way to get introduced to the people behind the scenes that make the game great.
"If you are thinking about a career in hockey, SMWW is a cutting-edge program that offers you the training, skills, vital networking, mentoring, and hockey-specific training that will assist you in breaking in or advancing your career in professional hockey. They have hundreds of graduates now working at all levels of the game," says Pittsburgh Penguins President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke.
2023 Featured Speakers
*More 2023 speakers will be added before the event.
Ken Holland
Edmonton Oilers President of Hockey Operations and GM
Rick Curran
ORR Hockey Group NHLPA Agent
NHL Agent
Reagan Carey
Commissioner, Premier Hockey Federation (PHF)
Craig Button
SN Head Hockey Scout
Stephanie Jackson
Director of Diversity and Inclusion USA Hockey
Courtni Mosley
Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Nashville Predators
Mike Johnston
Portland Winterhawks President, GM, and Head Coach
EJ Hradek
Sr Reporter for NHL Network & Host, NHL Now!
Margie Horwitz
Senior Director, Human Resources Nashville Predators
Ed Palumbo
Elite Prospects Director of Hockey, Team Sales & Live Events
Sydney Haykel
Senior Coordinator, Human Resources Nashville Predators
Zoran Rajcic
CSH Chief Operating Officer Everett Silvertips
Mike Oke
OHL Peterborough Petes General Manager, SMWW Faculty
General Manager
Dino Caputo
WHL Tri Cities Americans Regional Scout, SMWW Faculty
Mike Curran
RR Hockey Group NHLPA Agent
Phil Pritchard
Hockey Hall of Fame VP, Curator/Keeper of the Cup
Denver Barkey
OHL London Knights Player, 2023 Draft Prospect
Luca Cagnon
WHL Portland Winterhawks Player, 2023 NHL Draft Prospect
William Kawam
ORR Hockey Agent
Paul Krotz
Senior Vice President of Communications, Premier Hockey Federation
Brendan Kumaga
Data Scientist at Zelus Analytics
Chace McCallum
Data Journalist, The Action Network
Mike Murray
Knoxville Ice Bears President/GM/Co-Owner
Ricky Olczyk
Assistant GM at Seattle Kraken
Josh Pohlkamp-Hart
Data Scientist, Boston Bruins
Dr. Lynn Lashbrook
SMWW President & Founder, & NFLPA Agent
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I would highly recommend to anyone with a goal of pursuing a career in professional hockey that they give serious consideration in attending the SMWW Hockey Career Conference which is absolutely an incredible value for the return on the investment.
— Patrick Edwards, International Scouting Services — Hockey Scout
SMWW’s Industry Leading Courses Featured In:
2023 Hockey Career Conference Agenda*
*This agenda is subject to change due to speaker availability and scheduling
Tuesday June 27th, 2023
2 pm CST - 4 pm CST: Registration Open
Residence Inn: 410 Rep. John Lewis Way S, Nashville, TN 37203
6 pm CST - 9 pm CST SMWW Welcome Reception
Redneck Riviera: 208 Broadway St, Nashville TN 37201
Wednesday, June 28th, 2023 - Residence Inn - Americana Room
7:30 am Coffee
7:50 am Welcome to the 2023 NHL Draft!
Dr. Lynn Lashbrook, SMWW President & Founder
8:00 am Life of an NHL GM on Draft Day
Ken Holland, Edmonton Oilers GM
8:30 am Hockey Management
Ricky Olczky, Seattle Kraken Assistant General Manager
Dr. Lynn Lashbrook, SMWW President and Founder (Moderator)
9 am The Impact of Analytics on Hockey
Josh Pohlkamp-Hartt, Boston Bruins Data Scientist
Brendan Kumagai, Zelus Analytics Data Scientist
Chace McCallum, The Action Network Hockey Analytics Writer
Ed Palumbo, Elite Prospects Director of Hockey and Events
Mike Oke, Peterborough Petes General Manager/SMWW Mentor (Moderator)
10:00 am Representing a Player in the NHL Draft
Rick Curran, NHLPA Agent with ORR Hockey Group/SMWW Mentor (Moderator)
Mike Curran, NHLPA Agent with ORR Hockey Group
Denver Barkey, London Knights Center, Client of ORR Hockey
Luca Cagnoni, Portland Winterhawks Defenseman, Client of ORR Hockey
Will Kawam, NHLPA Agent with ORR Hockey Group
10:45 am - Coffee Break
11:00 am The Business of Media in Hockey
EJ Hradek, NHL Network Insider, and NHL Now! Host
Paul Krotz, Premier Hockey Federation SVP of Communications
Craig Button, TSN Head Hockey Scout
Dr. Lynn Lashbrook, SMWW President and Founder (Moderator)
11:45 am Welcome to our College Groups and Honor SMWW Advanced Certificate Graduates
12:15 pm Lunch - Residence Inn, Bar/Terrace Area
1:15 pm Jobs in Hockey Operations
Mike Johnston, Portland Winterhawks Head Coach, GM, & Team President/SMWW Mentor
Zoran Rajcic, Everett Silvertips Chief Operating Officer
Dr. Lynn Lashbrook, SMWW President and Founder (Moderator)
2 pm The Explosion and Growth of Women in Hockey
Reagan Carey, Premier Hockey Federation Commissioner
Stephanie Jackson, USA Hockey Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Lisa Hollenbeck, Portland Winterhawks Vice President of Hockey Operations
Dino Caputo, Tri-City American Scout/SMWW Mentor (Moderator)
2:45 pm Break
3 pm Secrets to Getting Hired in Hockey
Courtni Mosley, Nashville Predators Senior Vice President of Human Resources
Margie Horwitz, Nashville Predators Senior Director of Human Resources
Sydney Haykel, Nashville Predators Senior Coordinator of Human Resources
Ike Worth, SMWW Business Operations Manager (Moderator)
3:45 Closing Remarks
Dr. Lynn Lashbrook
Mike Oke
Dino Caputo
4:30 pm Top prospects arrive on the red carpet at Bridgestone Arena
4:30 pm Network on the Bridgestone Arena Concourse
5:50 pm Be in your seats for Live Cameras
6 pm 1st pick of the NHL Draft
Check Out Our Photos From The 2019 Conference In Vancouver!
Past Speakers
Note: Due to team meetings, speakers are not guaranteed and will change. The closer we get to the date, the more accurate the schedule becomes as executives do not yet know their team meeting schedules. Keep coming back to this agenda to see the most recent additions all the way up to the draft day!
Scholarships for the Hockey Career Conference Are Available
SMWW will award a limited amount of full and partial scholarships for each SMWW Career Conference. You must be 18 years or older to be considered. If interested, fill out an application, submit your resume, and a one-page letter explaining why you should receive a scholarship to info@smww.com.
Scholarships do not include lodging or airfare. Those who have completed an SMWW training program will be given preference.
Download a Copy of the
2023 SMWW Hockey Career Conference Program Here
