The Sarnia Sting have hired former NHLer and Stanley Cup champion Chad LaRose as Director of United States Scouting.
LaRose joins the Sting staff after a 12-year professional hockey career that included 508 National Hockey League games with the Carolina Hurricanes.
He also played in the OHL for the Plymouth Whalers between 2000 and 2003 and had 201 points in 152 contests.
The Fraser, Michigan native will be responsible for identifying, reporting on, and assisting with the recruitment of top U16 and junior talent in the United States.
LaRose said he can't wait to get started.
"I am extremely excited to have the chance to work with Dylan (Seca) and the entire Sarnia Sting organization," he said. "Ever since I have retired, I wanted to get back into the Ontario Hockey League. This is an opportunity for me to work with some of the best players in the world and our ultimate goal is to have the best talent playing in Sarnia, in front of our fans. I cannot wait to get started and look forward to meeting everyone."
Sting General Manager Dylan Seca is thrilled to have LaRose join the organization.
"He is another excellent hockey mind, who again has the experience at many levels of junior and professional hockey. He is very connected at all levels and has played in both the USHL and Ontario Hockey League. We feel Chad will be a great tool identifying U.S. talent and in our recruiting process, we welcome him to the Sarnia Sting organization."
The team also announced that Kyle Craner will be promoted to Director of Player Personnel, while Mark Filiponne and Mike Neely will also receive expanded responsibilities in the scouting department.
Ryan Stacey, Cole Crane and Peter Stepanis will return in their roles, and Nathan Hisko was hired as a new member of the scouting team.
Seca is pleased to have such a quality group in place.
"Each member of our Scouting Staff brings a unique skillset and perspective to the table while all have the work ethic, passion, and dedication to properly execute their roles," he said. "We have the right people in place to best prepare us for, the U16 Priority Selection, U18 Priority Selection, as well as recruitment through Free Agency. I look forward to getting started with this group."