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Profile of Hockey Director Josh Hand

Josh Hand, a former collegiate goalie, has joined the staff of Arctic Wolf Ice Center as its new director of hockey. Dale Elder, general manager of the Arctic Wolf, made the announcement that Hand will begin overseeing the various hockey leagues and activities June 30.

Hand brings a wide background in competitive hockey and coaching to the Arctic Wolf, ranging from participation in junior-level leagues in Boston and Canada and for Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn.

"I love to teach," Hand said. "This opportunity to come in and train coaches and coach at the grass roots level in such a beautiful facility is exceptional. Arctic Wolf has an outstanding staff, with Texas A&M hockey as a good draw, so there are many outstanding elements to work with."

Josh learned hockey growing up in Reading, Pa. After playing juniors-level in Boston, he participated in a rookie camp with the Dallas Stars. He also played a year in northern Ontario for Thunder Bay.

At Moorhead, he earned a degree in political science and communications, with an emphasis on marketing. "That was a perfect fit for us, with Josh's experience in competition, coaching, and education around marketing," said Elder, himself a former hockey player and coach. "Goalies make incredible coaches, too. They know all the positions."

Hand will operate the entire hockey program for Arctic Wolf, which includes an in-house youth league with two levels of experience, three adult leagues, and a new high school team in the formative stages. Altogether, as many as 17 hockey teams compete in the various programs.

"I loved Josh's vision for youth sports," Elder said. "For one thing, he comes from an area where hockey has somewhat of a low profile, so he understands the ‘unknown sport' aspect of hockey in Texas." He selected Hand from more than 100 candidates for the hockey director position at Arctic Wolf, and from among five finalists in the interview process.

The goal is to grow the sport in participation and popularity in a setting where the nearest ice arenas are hours away in Houston, Austin, and Dallas.

New hockey class sessions start June 28 as the ice center begins to gear up for the fall 2008 schedule.