Friday 6 July 2012

Cameron Hope named General Manager

The Victoria Royals announce Cameron Hope as General Manager.

Royals Owner Graham Lee on hiring Hope, "...we hit it off right away, same philosophies, very similar vision and with the experience he had, it was a great fit for us." said Lee, "...I have quite a few people I know in the NHL and they highly recommended him to begin with...".
Cameron Hope, Royals new General Manager
Cameron previously spent 7 years (2004 – 2011) working as part of the NHL New York Rangers management team, promoted from VP of Hockey Admininstration to Assistant General Manager in 2007.

"I worked with Glen Sather for 7 years, and you learn an incredible amount of on the ground things you need to know about hockey." said Cameron Hope.

"I'm a new guy coming into the Western League, there's a lot I need to learn and I'm a curious guy by nature..." said Hope the Royals newly appointed GM.  "It really came out of left field...I was blind-sided by a fantastic opportunity."

The process to find a Head Coach is already underway.  "Within a week or two weeks at the outside, maybe quicker than that...", commented Hope when asked when they hope to have a new bench boss.

More in the official press release below.

Hope on the process of becoming the new GM:


Hope on the teams vision:


Hope on what he hopes to bring from experience with the NHL NYR:
 

Hope on whether he's leaning towards a coach with WHL experience:
 

Hope on when a decision will be made on a new Head Coach:
 

Hope on how long it took him to decide on the position:
 

Royals Owner Graham Lee on approaching Cameron Hope about the GM position:


Lee on the philosophies they share:


Lee on splitting the duties of Coach & GM:
 

Lee on getting a new Head Coach:


Lee on if there was any concern about Hope being new to the WHL:
 

ROYALS NAME CAMERON HOPE GENERAL MANAGER
Former New York Rangers’ Assistant GM takes over Victoria’s top hockey position. 

For Immediate Release
Friday, July 6, 2012

Victoria, BC – The Victoria Royals today announced that Cameron Hope has been named the second General Manager in the team’s history and the fourth in the franchise’s history.

Previously, Hope spent seven years (2004 thru 2011) working as a part of the National Hockey League’s New York Rangers’ management team. Originally hired as the Rangers’ Vice President of Hockey Administration, Research and Development he was promoted to the Assistant General Manager’s position in 2007.

In these roles he oversaw the day-to-day work of the hockey operations department, and was responsible for all aspects of hockey administration for the team, including matters relating to the hockey club’s salary structure, the team’s interaction with the National Hockey League, player contracts, player movement, and Collective Bargaining Agreement issues.

“We are very pleased to have been able to attract an experienced and quality person such as Cam” said Graham Lee, owner of the Victoria Royals. “We have talked to many very credible people in hockey who know Cam and they have all highly recommended him as very knowledgeable hockey person with a high level of integrity. I believe he will be a very strong addition to our team and will bring his NHL experience at the highest level in developing players and providing an environment for players to succeed.”

The 48-year-old will oversee the day-to-day management of team operations, all player personnel decisions as well as the team’s scouting department.

"I am excited for the opportunity," Hope said, "and happy to be here. Graham’s vision for junior hockey in Victoria, and his commitment to creating a culture of excellence with the Royals, is impressive. I’m honoured to have been given the chance to join the team and I look forward to the challenge."

“We are very fortunate to have a person of Cam’s caliber join our organization,” Royals’ team President Dave Dakers said. “I look forward to working together with Cam to help mold and shape the Victoria Royals into one of the model franchises in the WHL.”

The Edmonton, AB native obtained his law degree from the University of Alberta in 1988. The first portion of his career was spent as a litigation lawyer in the Alberta capital. Sport has played a role in Cam’s professional career from early on. He represented the Canadian Football League Players’ Association, and its players in grievance matters. He also has spent time as a professional race car driver and a performance-driving instructor. After his departure from the Rangers in 2011, he returned to Edmonton where he resumed his law career.