Bruins Announce Participants in the D&I Scouting Mentorship Program
The twelve participants will start the nine-month program beginning September 13
The Bruins' Diversity and Inclusion Scouting Mentorship Program will provide insider access, hands-on coaching and networking opportunities to the program's participants. Through a combination of monthly virtual study sessions, town hall sessions and guest speaker panels, the program will mentor and elevate the mentees and strengthen their pursuit of a career in scouting or the hockey industry at large. The program will pair the participants with a mentor from the Bruins' Hockey Operations Department for a nine-month period beginning September 13.
The following are the twelve mentees:
Duante' Abercrombie: A proud alumnus of Neal Henderson's Fort Dupont Cannons Ice Hockey Program, Abercrombie is a coach of three teams in the Washington, DC area: Stevenson University (NCAA Division III), The Washington Little Caps (AAA) and Georgetown Preparatory School (MAPHL). Abercrombie aspires to be a coach in the NHL, and currently is a member of the NHLCA'S BIPOC Coaches Program and the Washington Capitals Black Hockey Committee. He hopes to use his platform as a hockey coach to increase diversity and inclusivity in the game of hockey.
Saad Ahmad: A current university student interested in business and computer science, Ahmad has a strong passion for the game of hockey. In past years, Ahmad has worked as part of the National Hockey League's Youth Advisory Board, Youth Hockey Inclusion Committee, Valley Wildcats and Kitchener Rangers. Ahmad has an interest in using scouting, analytics and management to further grow his understanding of the game.
Alexa Bruni: Bruni is in her first year of graduate school at Boston College studying Sports Administration. She began her career in sports by managing operations and marketing for a Division III college football program, but has always been a hockey fan and plans to return to hockey through the mentorship program.
Gary Carter:Carter is a Product Administrator with Info-Tech Research Group, where he manages diagnostic assessments for IT departments in large industries. A lifelong hockey fan, Carter's goal is to explore the hockey scouting and analytics field for opportunities to network and further develop skills in player evaluation and stats analysis. Carter recently completed the ISS Hockey scouting mentorship program in June and received his HTCP Level 1 Hockey Trainers Certification for Minor Hockey in Ontario.
Juwan Hubbard: A graduate from Fisk University and Notre Dame Law School, Hubbard has held multiple leadership positions in prominent organizations including the presidency for the Black Law Student Association and the vice presidency for the Intellectual Property Legal Society. Hubbard is a sports fan with a deep appreciation for athletes and the organizations that facilitate their development.
Tom Kirk: A Compensation Associate for an investment company in New York City, Kirk has a passion for using data analysis to make informational decisions regarding people and organizations. Kirk, who began playing hockey at the age of 5, played competitively in college at Binghamton University and continues to play in the Gay Hockey Association in Manhattan.
Danielle Marmer: Currently in her third year as Director of Player Development and Hockey Operations for the women's ice hockey team at Quinnipiac University, Marmer works closely with game video, player development and day-to-day team operations. Prior to her position at Quinnipiac, Marmer spent two years as an assistant coach at Connecticut College. Marmer is an alum of the winningest Quinnipiac women's ice hockey team in program history and has made two NCAA tournament appearances.
Joel Martin: Martin has spent two years behind the bench with the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL after concluding a 15-year playing career, nine of which were spent with the K-Wings. Before retiring after the 2017-18 season, Martin was the all-time winningest goaltender in K-Wings history. His goal is to coach in the National Hockey League.
Matt Pinchevsky: Pinchevsky is currently the Associate Head Coach of the Maine Nordiques in the North American Hockey League with over a decade of experience growing and teaching the game of hockey. Specializing in Player Development and Player Personnel, Pinchevsky enjoys using information to help players advance in their respective careers.
Paul Plaisir: Plaisir is in his fourth year as the U18 Prep Hockey Assistant Coach at Culver Academies in Culver, Indiana, as well as an Anatomy and Physiology and Wellness Education Instructor. A former DIII hockey player at Lake Forest College with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, Plaisir plans to use the program to improve his skills as a recruiter, scout and coach, and better serve his current program for new opportunities.
Karen Rickard: Rickard is entering her fifth season as Head Coach with Team Colorado (16AAA) and the 14AAA Tournament Team after serving as Assistant Director of Hockey and 19AAA Head Coach for the Colorado Select. A former University of Wisconsin WCHA All-Second Team player and Jeff Sauer Award winner, Rickard has an MBA and Masters degree in Sports Administration from Ohio University.
Meredith Roth: Roth is entering her third season as the associate head coach of the Holy Cross women's ice hockey team and has coached at the NCAA D1/D3 level for 15 years. Last year, Roth served as an assistant coach for the U18 U.S. Women's National Team, which won gold at the 2020 IIHF World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia.
