Glen Ellyn, IL- Black Bear Sports Group is proud to announce that the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois (“AHAI”) has approved a new Tier II youth hockey club charter that will call Center Ice of DuPage home. The DuPage Black Bears teams will start play for the 2022/23 hockey season. Scott Maeder has been named Hockey Director of the Black Bears and Center Ice of DuPage while Gregg Naumenko will serve as the Black Bears Club President.
“Our mission is to grow hockey participation in the local communities our ice arenas serve,” said Black Bear Sports Group Founder and CEO, Murry Gunty“, we are extremely proud to usher in a new era of quality youth hockey to Chicagoland………..the DuPage Black Bears.”
Information will be out shortly on spring and summer opportunities to take the ice with Coach Maeder on the Center Ice of DuPage website.
Contact: Scott Maeder, Hockey Director ScottMaeder@centericeofdupage.com
About Black Bear Sports Group, Inc.
Black Bear Sports Group, Inc. is a privately held company formed by Murry Gunty and Blackstreet Capital Holdings, LLC in 2015 that seeks investments in sports and entertainment facilities, teams, and youth sports events. Black Bear arenas are clean, professionally managed, and offer world-class recreational programs. Black Bear focuses on ice arenas in metropolitan areas with compelling demographics, markets with a National Hockey League club presence and arenas with existing youth hockey clubs. Black Bear not only features the ability to acquire healthy and stable arenas, but also the expertise required to turn around mismanaged or under-performing facilities. The largest owner/operator of ice rinks in the U.S., Black Bear’s footprint totals 30 facilities across the United States with 55 sheets of indoor ice, four indoor turf fields, 18 youth hockey clubs, two youth hockey leagues (Atlantic Hockey Federation and National Girls Hockey League), the nation’s largest adult hockey organization (Foundry Adult Hockey) and three Junior “A” hockey franchises with membership in the United States Hockey League, North American Hockey League and Eastern Hockey League.
About DuPage Black Bears
The club will be led by Hockey Director Scott Maeder and President Gregg Naumenko and based out of Center Ice of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, IL
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Coach Maeder has thirty years of Illinois youth hockey coaching experience at the Tier I and Tier II levels, specializing in skill development at all levels, Mite through Midget. Many of the players that Scott has developed have maintained a passion for the game throughout the years and have moved on to play in Juniors, College and Pro. Scott’s philosophy is to build each player’s foundation through fundamental skill development in a positive environment. He creates smart players with a deep hockey sense and a love for the sport.
Gregg Naumenko is a Chicago native and played youth hockey in the area until the age of 14. Gregg then embarked on a four year Junior career before playing Div. 1 for The University of Alaska Anchorage. One of seven Illinois born goalies to ever play in the NHL (Mighty Ducks), Gregg enjoyed a career that had several stops where he was able to play for some of the top hockey minds in the world. After retiring from pro hockey, Gregg came back to his roots in Chicago to start his coaching career where he could start giving back to the game. He has spent several years on the AHAI and Central District player development committees as well as coaching at USA Hockey’s National Select Festivals. Gregg has coached nearly 2000 games with recent stops in the USHL as Associate Coach and Assistant G.M. of the Omaha Lancers.