DES MOINES, IA - The Buccaneers are excited to be welcoming two new coaches to the Hockey Operations Staff.
Gaven Bickford - A native of Crosslake Minnesota, was most recently the General Manager of the Colorado Grit in the NAHL. Before the Grit, Gaven was the Assistant General Manager and Associate Head Coach of the Madison Capitols in the USHL.
Before Madison, Gaven's coaching career started with the Minnesota Magicians in the NAHL where he was an Assistant Coach and Director of Scouting then working his way up to Magician's General Manager.
Gaven and his wife Emily will be relocating to Des Moines this month and he will take on the position of Assistant Coach & Assistant General Manager. He will work primarily with our defensemen and penalty kill while also assisting roster management, the draft and general managerial aspects of the team.
"I am extremely excited and grateful to be joining the Des Moines Buccaneers. I look forward to being a part of an organization with such a rich history and passionate fan base. I can't wait to get started working alongside Matt Curley, and the rest of the Buccaneers' staff." - Gaven Bickford
"We are extremely fortunate to have someone with Gavin's experience join our staff. He has worked with some great coaches within our league and has helped build a solid foundation in the NAHL, most recently with the Colorado Grit as an expansion team. With that, he has a deep understanding of the junior hockey landscape and what it takes to build a competitive team at this level. He will be a tremendous addition to our staff, both on and off the ice. It's great to welcome Gavin and Emily to the Des Moines community!" - Head Coach and General Manager Matt Curley
Jared Bussard - A native of Berlin, Pennsylvania, was most recently the Player Development Coach for the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the USHL. He also is working for NAR Hockey as the On-Ice Lead & Assistant Instructor and worked with athletes ranging from NHL to Peewee AAA. He previously worked as the Assistant Coach for Video and Skills as well as being the Recruiting Coordinator for Trine University which is a NCAA D3 college.
Jared will move to Des Moines this month and will take up the position as an Assistant Coach. He will work primarily with our forwards and power play while assisting in numerous off-ice development, including video, travel logistics, etc.
"Jared's commitment to his craft is second to none. He has invested a tremendous amount of time and effort into his coaching career to get to this point, bettering not only himself but those around him. Fresh off a Clark Cup Finals appearance, I know he is eager to help our team strive for those heights from his experience and will look forward to his ability to maximize the talent we have on this year's roster." - Head Coach and General Manager Matt Curley
We are excited to welcome these two new coaches to our staff.
