KEVIN GIBSON
General Manager
The Black Hawks hired Gibson at the outset of the 2025 offseason following a six-year stint as a scout for the Detroit Red Wings.
The Michigan native spent the prior six seasons working for his hometown team. His initial focus with the Red Wings centered on college hockey free agents. However, beginning 2021 his assignment was shifted to NHL draft-eligible players. In that time, Gibson developed extensive connections in the midget and junior hockey communities across North America and the wider hockey world. In addition to assessing on-ice abilities, Gibson was also tasked with evaluating the character of pro hockey prospects.
His playing career included time in the United States Hockey League with the Sioux City Musketeers before advancing to the college and professional ranks. At the junior level, the defenseman dressed for over 170 regular season and playoff games from 2008/09 through 2010/11 in the North American Hockey League and USHL.
Moving on to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Gibson helped the Pointers to a pair of Division III national runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2015. He was recognized as an All-American during his senior season, graduating a few months later with a degree in Business Management. Gibson’s time on the ice in pro hockey included four seasons in the ECHL.
SCOTT GORDON
Head Coach
Gordon was hired as the Black Hawks' head coach on June 18, 2025, opening in a new chapter in a career behind the bench which has spanned more than 30 years.
As a player, Gordon reached the NHL as a goaltender for the Quebec Nordiques before transitioning to coaching in 1994. Since then, he led the New York Islanders (2008 to 2010) and the Philadelphia Flyers (2018 to 2019), as well as three stints guiding Team USA during the IIHF Men’s World Championships.
During his time with Philadelphia and New York, Gordon earned an NHL record of 89-116-27. He was named the Flyers’ head coach midway through the 2018/19 season, bringing home a 25-22-4 mark after the team had started the year 12-15-4. Gordon’s first NHL coaching opportunity began in July of 2008, when he was named head coach of the Islanders. It was a role he earned after leading the Providence Bruins to the best record in the American Hockey League the prior season and claiming the AHL’s Lou Pieri Award as the league’s coach of the year. Gordon directed the Islanders for parts of three seasons; the most notable campaign was in 2009/10, when New York was 34-37-11, including a 23-14-4 mark on home ice.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks have both benefited from Gordon’s insights during his stints as an assistant coach. For three seasons beginning in 2011, Gordon was part of Toronto’s coaching staff and helped the Leafs end a long playoff drought in the spring of 2013. His most recent NHL-level experience was with a young San Jose Sharks team during the 2023/24 campaign. In total, Gordon has spent all or part of eight seasons on the bench as an NHL head coach or assistant.
Gordon also repeatedly worked with NHL players on the international stage. He was an assistant for the 2009 United States entry at the Men’s IIHF World Championships. Less than a year later, he held the same role during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, helping Team USA to a silver medal. Gordon was promoted to the U.S. head coaching role for the 2010, 2011, and 2012 World Championships. He also worked as an assistant on the squad which represented the United States during the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Back in 2001, Gordon joined an AHL staff for the first time, spending much of the next decade with Providence. The Bruins reached the Calder Cup playoffs during all eight of his seasons as either an assistant or head coach. Adding six later campaigns with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Gordon became the sixth coach in AHL history to claim 400 victories. He reached the milestone in March of 2021. His career record in the AHL stands at 407-262-87. Gordon also worked in the International Hockey League for the Atlanta Knights and Quebec Rafales, as well as in the ECHL for the Roanoke Express.
As a player, Gordon made his NHL debut for the Nordiques on January 30, 1990, stopping 32 of 37 shots against the Buffalo Sabres. Less than a week later, he turned in a career-best 49-save effort during a 3-2 loss against the Boston Bruins. Gordon posted a 2-16-0 record across 23 NHL appearances in two seasons. He spent much of the 1991/92 winter touring with the U.S. National Team in preparation for the Olympics and appeared during the Winter Games in Albertville, France. During Gordon’s final season as a professional player, the Atlanta Knights won the IHL’s Turner Cup championship.
The Massachusetts native played NCAA hockey for Boston College, helping the Eagles reach three NCAA Tournaments. Gordon was named a Hockey East First Team All-Star in 1986. He graduated that spring from the college’s School of Management.
BRETT OLSON
Associate Head Coach
Olson returned to the Black Hawks organization as a coach in 2022 after playing in Waterloo for three seasons from 2005 to 2008. He was voted Waterloo's team captain during the 2007/08 season, then held the same role as an upperclassman at Michigan Tech before beginning a 10-year professional career in 2012, skating in the American Hockey League and Europe.
As a Black Hawk, Olson skated in 151 regular season games, producing 35 goals and 56 assists. He was a member of Waterloo's 2006/07 Anderson Cup Championship team. Olson also took the ice for two Hawks squads which played for the Clark Cup, skating in 20 total postseason games with six goals and 11 assists.
From Waterloo, Olson advanced to Michigan Tech. He finished either first or second in scoring for the Huskies during three of his four NCAA seasons, notching 42 goals and 51 assists in 127 games.
At the professional level, Olson debuted with the Abbotsford Heat in the fall of 2012. After two seasons in British Columbia, his next two campaigns were under contract with the NHL's Florida Panthers, skating for their AHL affiliates in San Antonio and Portland, Maine. All totaled, Olson played in over 500 professional regular season games, notching 286 points (116 goals, 170 assists), including six years in either Germany or Austria.
Prior to becoming a fulltime coach, Olson assisted during Waterloo Orientation and Futures Camps beginning when he was still a player at Michigan Tech. He was also the founder and head instructor for the Twin Ports Pro Development Camp in Superior, Wisconsin, as well as Olson Hockey Development, which hosts a camp here in Waterloo.
CJ EICK
Assistant Coach
Eick followed the path of many players who come to the USHL: skate in junior hockey, produce at the college level, then take the ice as a pro. After a year of coaching experience at Trinity College in Connecticut, he returned to the USHL and joined the Black Hawks staff ahead of the 2023/24 season.
Eick began his junior career with the North American Hockey League’s St. Louis Bandits in 2009/10. He returned to his home region in northeastern Wisconsin during the following two seasons, producing 29 points in 113 regular season games for the Green Bay Gamblers. Eick was a member of Green Bay’s 2012 Clark Cup Championship team and also appeared in the 2011 championship series.
During a four-season stint at Michigan Tech, Eick helped the Huskies to the 2015 NCAA Tournament during his junior year, scoring a goal in the Huskies’ regional overtime loss to St. Cloud State. Overall, he played in 145 college games, recording 14 goals and 38 assists. Away from the ice, Eick graduated from Michigan Tech with a bachelor's degree in sports and fitness management. He began establishing his coaching resume as an instructor for the Michigan Tech Hockey School.
Eick had a notable professional playing career, signing with the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL and later appearing as a member of the league’s Kansas City Mavericks and Indy Fuel. Eick skated in 381 regular season games, notching 42 goals and 56 assists.
Wearing an assistant coaches’ whistle for the first time in 2022/23, Eick helped Trinity to a first-place tie in the NCAA Division III New England Small College Athletic Conference. Overall, the Bantams were 16-8-1. The program led the NESCAC in scoring (3.2 goals per game) and scoring defense (1.4 goals allowed per game).
ELLIOTT HOGUE
Goaltending Coach
Veteran goaltending coach Elliott Hogue has joined the Waterloo Black Hawks coaching staff ahead of the 2024/25 season.
Hogue has spent more than 15 seasons as an assistant coach, goaltending coach, consultant, and scout across the North American Hockey League, Western Hockey League, and USHL.
Renowned for his expertise in goaltending development, Hogue also currently works with numerous collegiate and professional goaltenders through his business, Hogue Consulting Services. His clientele ranges from youth players to the National Team Development Program to the National Hockey League and everywhere in between.
Hogue will oversee all Black Hawks goaltenders and be responsible for their on- and off-ice development and preparation.
The former netminder grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, where he played youth and AAA hockey. After that, Hogue spent five seasons playing junior hockey across the United States and Canada. He played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls before beginning his coaching career.
Hogue resides in the Twin Cities.
SPENSER POPINGA
Director of Sports Performance
Spenser Popinga came to the Black Hawks during the 2013/14 season.
An athlete in his own right, Popinga played baseball at North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) and later baseball and hockey at Waldorf College. With the Warriors on the diamond, he was named to the Midwest Collegiate Conference First Team as a designated hitter. On the ice, he was an assistant captain and member of the Western Collegiate Club Hockey Association Second Team and participated in the 2013 ACHA Division-II All-Star Challenge.
Previously also in role as the team's equipment manager, Popinga now focuses on managing conditioning and exercise programs for Black Hawks players. He worked as an equipment manager during the 2015, 2018, and 2019 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Games. Popinga was also part of the gold medal-winning delegation which represented the United States during the 2018 World Junior A Challenge and returned to the competition to support U.S. bronze medal efforts in 2019 and 2023.
With Popinga's assistance, 2017 Ottawa Senators' first round draft pick Shane Bowers finished among the top performers during the NHL Central Scouting Combine aerobic endurance tests.
P.K. O'HANDLEY
Senior Hockey Consultant
During 19 years as the Black Hawks' head coach and seven years in the same role with the North Iowa Huskies, O'Handley was behind the bench for more USHL regular season games than anyone else in history, setting the league record with 778 victories (plus 63 more in the Clark Cup Playoffs). He is a four-time USHL Coach of the Year Award winner (2003, 2007, 2014, 2018) and three-time General Manager of the Year (2003, 2012, 2018). O'Handley led the Hawks to their only junior era Clark Cup (2004) and Anderson Cup (2006/07, 2013/14, 2017/18) championships.
On January 18, 2014 – facing the Team USA National Team Development Program – O'Handley set a new mark for coaching success with his 530th USHL regular season victory as the Hawks prevailed 2-1. He later became the first coach to 600 wins on March 17, 2016, thanks to a thrilling 6-5 road result against the Muskegon Lumberjacks. He reached the 700 win threshold in time for Christmas in 2018 thanks to a 5-3 victory against the Madison Capitols on December 15.
On top of the Clark Cup and Anderson Cup championships, the Hawks reached the Clark Cup Finals on four other occasions during O'Handley's tenure.
O'Handley's junior hockey coaching career began on October 5, 1991 with the the North Iowa Huskies, the franchise which would later become the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. Directing the Huskies through seven seasons and 348 regular season contests, he put himself well on the way to becoming the first USHL head coach to guide his team into 1,000 games. In between his time in Mason City and Waterloo, O'Handley spent four years working as an assistant coach for the professional Florida Everblades of the ECHL, minor league affiliates of the Carolina Hurricanes.
In international competition, O'Handley led the Black Hawks to the silver medal during the 2012 Junior Club World Cup in Omsk, Russia. He has also been called to work with USA Hockey's National Junior and Junior Select teams during tournaments in Canada and Europe.
After completing his playing career as a goaltender at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, O'Handley began coaching as an assistant at his alma mater, while also working with local high school and midget players. He is also a member of the Superior High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
BLACK HAWKS SCOUTS
ZACK THOMPSON
Director of Scouting
Thompson joined the Black Hawks ahead of the 2024/25 USHL season. He spent the prior four years as the Director of Scouting for the Des Moines Buccaneers. In that role, he oversaw scouting, offered player personnel consultation on trade proposals, and managed Des Moines' draft day operations.
The western New York native has also worked for several independent scouting services, evaluating junior-aged talent in preparation for the National Hockey League draft and at other stages of player development..
JAKE BENNETT
Bennett joined the Black Hawks scouting staff in 2021. He is currently the Head Hockey Coach at Northfield Mount Hermon in Northwest Massachusetts, and is also the co-founder of the All American Prospects summer program, which has helped develop over 45 NHL Draft picks plus more than 80 current NCAA players since being founded in 2015. Prior to Waterloo, Jake scouted in the USHL for the Central Illinois Flying Aces.
JAKE VANBESIEN
VanBesien joined the Black Hawk scouting staff in 2022. During the previous six seasons, he had been responsible for tracking statistics like shots and ice time for Waterloo. In addition to helping the Hawks on game nights, VanBesien has also worked for
The Red Line Report and
Future Considerations. Both outlets report extensively on the NHL Draft. A Waterloo native, Jake has been around the Black Hawks organization for over 20 years.
DAVID BROWN
Head Minnesota Scout / Skills Development Consultant
Brown's experience is wide-ranging. He has spent six successful seasons as the head hockey coach at Rogers (MN) High School. Simultaneously he has operated The Base Sports Performance in New Hope, Minnesota, and is the founder of the Minnesota Lakers AAA program.
Under Brown’s direction, the Rogers Royals reached the Minnesota Class AA Boys Tournament for the first time in program history during 2025. Prior to leading Rogers, Brown was an assistant coach at Wayzata High School from 2014 to 2019, including the program’s first state championship in 2016. At The Base Sports Performance, players in the region have access to elite-level training facilities and coaching, focused on enhancing speed, power, strength, and agility. Brown established the Minnesota Lakers in 2019. The program provides opportunities for players to develop their skills on competitive teams in tournaments and also practices from March through the late spring, then resuming ahead of the traditional Minnesota hockey winter season.
JOSH MITCHELL
Head U.S. AAA Scout
Mitchell is a native of Osoyoos, British Columbia, and played in the BCHL before attending Rochester Institute of Technology. He captained the Tigers to two Atlantic Hockey Association championships in 2015 and 2016 while skating in a total of 154 college games with 31 goals and 90 assists. Mitchell played professionally in Germany until 2020. He holds a bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and currently coaches in Rochester, New York for the BK Selects program.
JERRY FREISMUTH
Freismuth has been working with high-level athletes in the Pittsburgh area since 2017 as a coach and administrator in the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite program. He currently serves as Director of Hockey Programming at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex and also serves as a skill development professional within the EXCEL Hockey Academy. During his playing career, Freismuth skated in the NAHL for the Alexandria Blizzard. He went on to play college hockey, first at Bowling Green, then later at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he was a two-year captain.
GAVIN CHIASSON
Chiasson is based in Sudbury, Ontario. He is the owner and operator of Recruit Scouting and
recruitscouting.com. The service provides coverage of prospects throughout the hockey world, specializing in analysis ahead of the NHL Draft. Chiasson is a graduate of Laurentian University in Sudbury, where he studied Geography and History; he is currently pursuing an additional degree in Education.
DILLON JACKSON
Jackson joined the Hawks in the fall of 2024, less than a year after playing his final junior game. Skating in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League for the Estevan Bruins in 2023/24, he recorded six goals and eight assists in 48 games. Previously, the Grand Forks native played AAA and high school hockey in North Dakota. He is currenrtly attending the University of North Dakota
