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Compuware Arena, Plymouth Whalers Announce Organizational Changes

May 30, 2014 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Plymouth Whalers News Release


PLYMOUTH - Plymouth Whalers and Compuware Arena owner Peter Karmanos announced the following changes today in the Whalers' and the Compuware Arena front office and management positions:

Mike Vellucci remains as Governor of the Plymouth Whalers. Vellucci was recently promoted to Assistant General Manager and Director of Hockey Operations for the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes.

Dennis Moore has been promoted to President and Chief Financial Officer of the Plymouth Whalers and Compuware Arena.

Mike Henry has been promoted to Vice President and General Manager of Compuware Arena. Mark Craig has been hired as General Manager of the Plymouth Whalers.

"Compuware Arena has become a first-class venue for many events in addition to hockey," said Karmanos. "Dennis and Mike have been an integral part of the arena's growth from the beginning. They will continue to do an excellent job in their new positions.

"Mike Vellucci's track record as a general manager and head coach in the Ontario Hockey League speaks for itself. He's earned the chance to move to the National Hockey League."

Craig announced the following appointments for the Plymouth Whalers:

Don Elland has been promoted to Head Coach of the Whalers. Joe Stefan has been promoted to Assistant General Manager of the Whalers.

"I have a great deal of respect for Mark," said Vellucci. "He has been a mentor and a friend of mine for a long time. Mark will do a great job. Don Elland has paid his dues as an assistant and has a great hockey mind. I know the players respect him.

"Between Mark, Don and Joe, I know the Whalers are being left in good hands and will continue our winning tradition of making the playoffs."

All appointments start immediately as the Whalers prepare for their 25th season in the Ontario Hockey League with training camp in late August.

The Whalers have enjoyed great stability under Karmanos. Craig becomes the team's sixth general manager over 25 seasons while Elland is Plymouth's eighth head coach since the team joined the Ontario Hockey League as an expansion franchise in 1989 - the first OHL-team based in the United States.

Vellucci, 47, is the longest-tenured employee with Compuware Arena and the Whalers. He joins the Hurricanes after 14 seasons with Plymouth, serving as Head Coach and General Manager for the majority of that time. As Assistant General Manager and Director of Hockey Operations in his new position, Vellucci will oversee scouting and player development for the Hurricanes.

The Farmington, MI, native led Plymouth to a 468-322-36 record during his time in the OHL. He was the first American to win the Matt Leyden Trophy as OHL coach of the year after the Whalers captured the OHL championship in 2006-07. He was also named the OHL's Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year in 2012-13.

Moore, 43, has been with Compuware Arena and the Whalers since 1997. Dennis is a CPA and holds a Masters Degree in Finance from Walsh College and a BS Degree in Accounting from Ferris State University.

Henry, 31, has been with Compuware Arena since 2006 and was appointed Director of the Compuware Youth Program in 2012 while working as Compuware Arena's Manager since 2007.

Craig, 61, comes back to the organization he worked for 30 years ago. Karmanos purchased the Windsor Spitfires in 1984 and one of his first hires was Craig - then working as a coach in the Detroit Compuware system - as the head coach of the Spitfires for the 1984-85 season.

The Spitfires improved every season under Karmanos' ownership and won the OHL Championship in 1988. Based on that success, the OHL awarded Karmanos an expansion franchise for Detroit in 1989.

While working for the Compuware Youth Program, Craig helped develop National Hockey League players Al Iafrate, Kevin Hatcher, Craig Wolanin, Jimmy Carson, Chris Tancill and others.

Like Craig, Elland (who turned 50 on Tuesday) is a long-time coach from the Compuware Youth program who joined the Whalers as an Assistant in 2010. While working for the Compuware Youth Program, Elland helped develop National Hockey League players Ryan Kesler, James Wisniewski and others.

After scouting for the Whalers for several seasons, Stefan, 48, was named Assistant Coach of the team in 2007. He was promoted to Associate Coach in 2008 and has held that position ever since.

Since joining the Ontario Hockey League in 1990, the Whalers have made the OHL playoffs 23 straight years - a current league record.

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