The United States Premier Hockey League (“USPHL”) is pleased to announce the hiring of Mark Kumpel as Tier 3 Director of Operations. Mark played for University of Massachusetts-Lowell prior to embarking on a lengthy career in the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League including 288 games with the Quebec Nordiques, Detroit Red Wings and Winnipeg Jets.
Mark was also a member of the 1983 Team USA Gold Medal World Champions and the 1984 Olympic team. Mark also had a distinguished career as a scout and coach for teams in the NHL (Scout for Atlanta Thrashers), AHL (Head Coach of Portland Pirates), and East Coast Hockey League (Head Coach of Nashville Knights and Dayton Bombers) as well as having won several championships as a coach in junior hockey.
Mark served as the Team Leader for Team USA in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup from 2016-2019 and 2021. Mark previously was also the director of hockey operations for the Eastern Hockey League, a Tier 3 league based in New England, and the Eastern Hockey Federation, the largest youth hockey league in New England.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mark to the USPHL,” said Interim Commissioner, Murry N. Gunty. “Mark is exactly what our league needs right now and will bring rigor to our operations and support to our member clubs to make the USPHL the best Tier 3 league anywhere. Mark will join Jim Hunt (Senior Hockey Advisor), Kevin Abrams (NCDC Director of Operations) and Tony Zasowski (Deputy Commissioner) in the senior leadership of the USPHL and will truly help us propel our league forward.”
“I am excited for the next chapter in my hockey career,” said Mark Kumpel. “I am looking forward to using my past experience to help the USPHL players and clubs to achieve their goals on and off the ice.”
“Mark is the right person at the right time for our league,” said Jim Ford, Executive Committee Member and Owner of the Islanders Hockey Club. “We were fortunate that my partner Gary Ford and I have a longstanding relationship with Mark and as a result we were able to bring Mark into our league where we are confident he can make a huge difference.”
About the United States Premier Hockey League
Founded in 2012, the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) is comprised of over 150 teams, fielding more than 20,000 players aged 9-21 in more than 100 organizations across the North, South, Midwest, West, and Canada.
Our Junior Divisions consist of the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC), a tuition-free, Tier 2 Junior hockey division, and our Premier & Elite Divisions, all geared toward college and pro placement. Our youth & midget divisions (operated through the Tier 1 Hockey Federation) field full season 9U through 18U teams.
The USPHL has sent over 8,000 players to all levels of college hockey including over 3,300 into NCAA college hockey and over 200 players into NCAA Division I hockey. The USPHL has also had 17 players who played in the NCDC drafted by NHL teams.
