‘Cool’ hire has ties to Preds
Cool Sports Home of the Icerarium has a new hockey director.
Jim Haverstrom, who most recently oversaw a program in Dallas, Texas, started in his new position at the Farragut facility Monday, July 23.
He is taking control of an extensive program that includes hundreds of child, youth and adult hockey players who participate in Cool Sports’ youth rec and travel leagues, as well as four adult leagues.
Little Preds, a specialty program for 4- to 9-year-olds providing free hockey equipment as part of the learning process, also is under the hockey program umbrella.
Haverstrom said he is “excited” about his new position.
“The cooperation with the Nashville Predators, and having them come to help with the program is one thing I really enjoy about the idea” of heading up the hockey program, Haverstrom said. “Knoxville has only one program, while other areas might have four or five, and when there are that many, you can’t really build the right culture.
“To me, it is about making better people,” he added. “I want to help players grow as people, not just athletes, and you can do that with only one program.”
Haverstrom started out coaching one of his sons’ hockey teams more than 20 years ago.
From volunteer status, he went on to serve as hockey director with several local and national programs. That’s included youth and adult programs at RDV Sportsplex in Orlando, Florida, where he also started a travel hockey program; children and youth with the Colorado Springs Amateur Hockey Association; hockey director at the NHL training facility for the Florida Panthers, where he also ran youth and adult programs; and the Hockey Club Dallas, where he was coaching and running skills clinics for the Texas Warriors youth hockey team.
Along with his hockey director and coaching positions, Haverstrom has been heavily involved with USA Hockey on both national and local levels and is a certified trainer for the Positive Coaching Alliance.
Haverstrom and his wife, Lillian, have three grown sons, Kyle, Josh and Logan. He said the couple is looking forward to making their home in the area.
