Hockey jobs: find work in the NHL and beyond

If you’re reading this in mid-November, you might be thinking: “Who applies for a hockey job a month before Christmas? The season’s in full swing. Most of the jobs are taken now.” You wouldn’t be far from the truth.

But the fact is, there are hockey jobs available right now. And if you want to apply for your dream job in the summer when most of the openings come up, you should be planning your strategy now. (Not waiting until after the IIHF World Championship gold medal game on May 18 or Game Seven of the Stanley Cup finals on June 9.)

Here’s a list of assorted online resources for both aspiring and qualified North American hockey job seekers. If you know of or own a great page that I’ve overlooked, email me and I’ll add it to this page. (Note: I do not guarantee that these resources are accurate, complete, or up-to-date. It’s your personal responsibility to verify the information.)

Also, if this page jumpstarts your own success story with a career in hockey, please drop me a line and let me know. Happy hunting!

JOBS WITH LEAGUES AND HOCKEY ASSOCIATIONS

HockeyJobs.NHL.com – The official job board of the National Hockey League.

AHL Jobs – Jobs in the American Hockey League.

ECHL Jobs – Jobs in the ECHL, the “Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League.”

CHL Job Board – Find employment with the Central Hockey League.

Mid-Atlantic Hockey League Job Opportunities – Work for the “Premier ‘A’ Hockey League.”

IIHF Jobs – Check for posted job opportunities with the International Ice Hockey Federation, which governs the sport worldwide.

Professional Hockey Players’ Association Jobs – Submit your resume for an internship or job with this organization dedicated to promoting the rights of minor-league hockey players since 1967.

NHLPA Agents – Information on applying to become a certified NHL player agent, plus contact information for the 150-plus NHL agents already out there.

Hockey Canada Jobs – For Canadians, this could be your gateway to working at the World Juniors, IIHF World Championships, or Olympics someday.

Hockey Alberta Jobs – Work for the governing body of hockey in Alberta.

Alberta Junior Hockey League Employment – Check for job openings with this Junior A league.

USA Hockey Job Opportunities – Work for the governing body of hockey in the United States.

JOBS FOR COACHES AND JOBS AT HOCKEY CAMPS

American Hockey Coaches Association Job Openings – Dozens of jobs for coaches, hockey directors, and video coordinators across the US.

CAN/AM Hockey Jobs – Download and submit an application to work at this long-established company’s camps and tournaments for youths, adults, and families.

Heartland Hockey Camp Employment – Fill out a form to apply for work at this Minnesota-based hockey camp in operation since 1985.

Huron Hockey School Employment Opportunities – Jobs for on-ice instructors and counselors at Huron Hockey School

International Hockey Schools – See what’s available at this company’s summer hockey camps centered in Minnesota and North Dakota.

Northern Edge Elite Hockey School Jobs – Apply online to become a Northern Edge on-ice instructor for the Missouri-based school that’s become the official hockey school for the Belarus Ice Hockey Federation.

Roger Neilson’s Hockey Camp Employment Opportunities – Jobs for team counselors, specialty staff, support staff, and medical staff at this Toronto-based camp named after the late legendary NHL coach.

MISCELLANEOUS HOCKEY JOBS

Jobster Hockey Jobs – A variety of hockey-related jobs across the US. (Heads-up: some of these are only tangentially related to hockey.)

Work in Sports – Jobs across the USA and Canada. (Registration fee required: $9.95 for one week, $29.95 for 1 month, $49.95 for 3 months, or $89.95 for 6 months.)

Be Recruited Job Board – You’ll find the occasional hockey job on this site targeting NCAA-bound high school athletes.

Online Sports Jobs – Worth checking to see if there are any hockey jobs available.

Sportscasters Talent Agency of America Forums – Features two frequently updated job boards for sports radio and TV broadcasting positions, including plenty of hockey jobs.

Professional Inline Hockey Association Jobs – Appears to offer mostly internships at this point, but could be a starting point.

College Hockey News Jobs – Students are encouraged to get their start in hockey writing with this site run by professional journalists.

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

TeamWork Online Executive Stories – Several NHL business executives describe their career paths on this page.

USA Hockey Magazine on Women Working in Hockey – Are you a woman who’d like to sell hockey equipment, work as a hockey columnist, teach power skating, get into media relations, or enter another field within this sport? Check out these six inspirational real-life examples.

Canadian School of Hockey Officiating – Learn from top NHL referees and linesmen like Bill McCreary, Dan Marouelli and Greg Devorski about what it takes to land a job as an NHL on-ice official.

National Hockey League Officials Association – Check out this quick overview about how to become an NHL referee or linesman.

Sports Management Worldwide Hockey GM & Scouting Course – This 8-week online course claims to offer “cutting-edge theories on how to develop a career in professional or collegiate hockey.”

Career Prospects for Professional Hockey Players – This article primarily targets aspiring NHLers, but also points out alternative hockey career paths.

PHATS/SPHEM – Explore the official web site of the Professional Hockey Athletic Trainers Society/Society of Professional Hockey Equipment Managers.

Making It as a Hockey Writer – Bill Meltzer of NHL.com and InsideHockey.com comments knowledgeably about the challenges and rewards of breaking in as a freelance hockey writer.

BONUS TIPS

Don’t forget to search for “hockey” in larger job sites like Yahoo! HotJobs and Monster.com.

Depending where you live, you might also find something through online classifieds sites like Craigslist and Kijiji.

If your heart is set on working for a particular club and you haven’t found anything through the above links, try Googling the club, or the name of its arena, along with “jobs” or “employment.”

Remember that many hockey jobs are never posted online or in print, so keep your eyes and ears open, talk to people who are in a position to guide you, and don’t hesitate to submit your resume on spec.