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.
CHRIS KIEFER
EQUIPMENT MANAGER
Before joining the Black Hawks, Kiefer formerly was an assistant equipment manager for the Minnesota Gophers men’s hockey team. In 2022/23, he served the program as Minnesota won the Big Ten regular season championship, then advanced to the NCAA National Championship Game.
Concurrent with his efforts on behalf of the Gophers, Kiefer was also a University of Minnesota student. He graduated in May of 2023 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering.
Kiefer was a hockey player himself growing up in the western suburbs of Chicago. He played as both a forward and a defenseman at the high school level for the Waubonsie Warriors.
Mike
BROWN
Senior Advisor
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Melissa
SEEBER
Co-Housing Coordinator
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Jen
ZABEL
Co-Housing Coordinator
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Bill
DOBBYN
Supervisor Emeritus of Off Ice Officials
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Scott
AMES
Supervisor of Off Ice Officials
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Abbie
McCONNELL
Academic Advisor
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