Joe Kolodziej
Joseph Kolodziej Is the CEO of Hockey Holdings Group Inc. A corporation registered in the United States and Europe.
Joseph Kolodziej | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | May 1967 Buffalo NY |
| Nationality | United States/Poland |
| Occupation | CEO Hockey Holdings Group Inc. |
Hockey Holdings Group owns, operates or manages some of the largest and well known brands in hockey today. Including; The Junior Hockey News, the Pre Draft Combine, Hockey Talent Management, the Draft Guide, P.A.S.S. scouting software, AAA Hockey News, Midget Hockey News Central Scouting Services, and Central Scouting Services Hockey Academy.
Kolodziej was a prolific goal scorer as a young player in Western New York. Playing experience included AAA hockey in Western New York, Junior B in Ontario Canada, University hockey in the United States and a few brief stints in minor professional hockey in the United States and Europe.
Since his playing days ended, Kolodziej has held several leadership positions in professional as well as junior hockey. Today he is widely considered one of the most influential people in amateur hockey throughout the world.
In 1995 Hockey Talent Management was founded by Kolodziej. A player services company that was once the largest representation firm in the world for minor league professional players. Over the years this company has evolved to represent the top amateur hockey players with a focus on those players preparing for NCAA opportunities.
1996-1999 Kolodziej ran youth skills camps throughout the Mid Western United States under the Hockey Talent Management brand name.
In 2000-2001 Kolodziej was Director of Coaching for Char Em Hockey Association in Michigan. During the 2001-2002 season he also coached the inaugural season of Petoskey Northmen High School Hockey.
In 2002 Kolodziej was the Free Agent Camp Director for the Atlantic Coast Hockey League. A professional league based in the South Eastern United States.
In 2003 Kolodziej developed the "Hockey Combine" business concept and founded the Pre Draft Combine. In 2003 the Pre Draft Combine was operated for the South East Hockey League, which in 2005 became the Southern Professional Hockey League and still exists today. The Pre Draft Combine is viewed by many as to be the creation of a completely new business segment within ice hockey. That concept is now imitated by many other companies and teams throughout the world.
In 2003 Kolodziej participated with the Detroit Red Wings training camp as an amateur scout and evaluator.
In 2004 participated with NHL Atlanta Thrashers training camp as amateur scout and drafted player evaluator.
In 2008 participated with the Columbus Blue Jackets NHL Rookie Tournament as an amateur scout and evaluator.
In 2008 Kolodziej accepted and held the position of league Vice President in the All American Hockey Association. As Vice President in charge of player development and promotion, Kolodziej watched over the development of all the league's players and worked on their behalf to promote them to higher level leagues. In his only season of holding that position, more players moved up to higher levels of Pro Hockey than ever before from A level pro hockey.
Kolodziej was an executive of the Battle Creek Revolution All American Hockey League (2008-2009), known as the All American Hockey Association during the 2008-2009 season, and he was named Executive of the Year by the AAHA for the 2008-2009 season. From November 2008 to December 2009, he was part of the ownership group of the Battle Creek Revolution.[1]
After being credited for saving the Battle Creek Revolution from insolvency, moving them on to the AAHL Championship series, and as a key member of developing the first ever hockey franchise in Evansville Indiana, Kolodziej was named executive of the year,[1] recently coming out of retirement, he played in three games for Chicago Blaze.[2]
During the 2010-2011 season Kolodziej was General Manager of the CJHL's Alpena Thunder. The Thunder joined the CJHL after the NJHL folded weeks before the start of the season. Kolodziej then put together a schedule featuring ACHA teams and captured the CJHL Championship with a record of 29-11-1. Nearly half the team's players moved on to college hockey or higher levels of junior hockey after the team's only season. The Thunder were the first ever Amateur Athletic Union sanctioned junior hockey team in the United States and were credited as being the precursor to the Western States Hockey League leaving USA Hockey for the Amateur Athletic Union.
In 2011 Kolodziej purchased The Junior Hockey News. Turning a failed publication into the largest most read daily junior hockey news publication in the world in less than three years.
During the 2012–13 season he served as Team Adviser and Consultant to the Dells Ducks in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League helping them rise from a next to last finish in the 2011-2012 season to finishing third in the regular season with a record of 28-19-0.
In the 2013–14 season Kolodziej was back in the MNJHL serving as the Vice President for the Central Wisconsin Saints. The turn around of the Saints has led them to a second-place finish in the regular season with a record of 31-13-0-2. The Saints were eliminated from the playoffs in the quarter finals.
Since 2014 Kolodziej has acquired Central Scouting Services, AAA Hockey News, Midget Hockey News, and other ice hockey properties.
In 2019 Kolodziej was appointed Polski Związek Hokeja na Lodzie Draft Coordinator by the Polish Hockey League. This appointment places him in charge of the first ever import player draft in Poland for the professional hockey league as well as the MHL junior league. This draft will take place in July 2020 after the first ever PHL Combine taking place in Poland. A major leap forward for Polish hockey as they are the first league in Europe to remove all import player restrictions in 2019. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020, the Combine and Player draft were canceled.
In 2020 CSS Hockey Academy will open its first of four planned hockey training academies. Opole HK is the first of those planned academy teams. Competing in the Polish first division for 2020-2021. Taking over as General Manager for Opole HK in October the team finished in second place in the regular season with a 17-4-1 record.
2021 will see the second franchise added to the Polish first league after the success of the Opole HK program.
Prior consulting experience in professional hockey would include working with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins in their inaugural season, the UHL's Dayton Ice Bandits, and the IHL's Flint Generals. He has also worked with OHL, USHL, NAHL, NCDC, NOJHL, SIJHL and numerous other junior programs throughout North America and Europe.
As a Team General Manager he has a combined junior and professional record of 104-46-7. Winning the IIHL and CJHL league championships as an executive. As an executive in the MNJHL Kolodziej amassed a 59–32–0–2 record in two seasons.
References
- "Joe Kolodziej hockey statistics and profile at". Hockeydb.com. 1967-05-31. Retrieved 2012-03-27.