Kalle Larsson Promoted to Dubuque Fighting Saints President of Hockey Operations
February 8, 2022 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Dubuque Fighting Saints News Release
DUBUQUE, Iowa - The Dubuque Fighting Saints are proud to announce that Kalle Larsson has been promoted to President of Hockey Operations, effective immediately. He will also retain the role of General Manager. Larsson has been with the organization since the 2015-16 season, has served as GM of the Fighting Saints since the 2017-18 season, and has overseen multiple top-end players that have gone on to have productive careers at levels as high as the NHL level, and many more that have gone on to receive scholarships at NCAA Division I institutions.
"I'm grateful to continue to work with the Dubuque Fighting Saints. The people involved with the club from the ownership group, led by Brad Kwong, the coaches, players, staff and fans make this an exciting environment to work and thrive," Larsson said. "I look forward to continuing to grow the organization."
"Kalle has grown tremendously in his time with the Fighting Saints. He is one of the hardest working hockey executives I have met and his desire to always be learning has served him well in his development," said Brad Kwong, the Fighting Saints' Managing Partner. "When he started with our team, he was primarily challenged with identifying Fighting Saint-type players, but in recent years, he has broadened his responsibilities to include oversight of all of our hockey ops. Kalle conducts his business in a very professional manner. He is someone our ownership is very pleased to have leading the hockey side of our business."
Since Larsson was tasked with overseeing scouting and player development prior to the 2015-16 season, the Dubuque Fighting Saints have put together a record of 207-129-42. The Fighting Saints qualified for the Clark Cup Playoffs in every season and finished the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season in second place in the Eastern Conference, where he captured USHL General Manager of the Year honors.
"This promotion is well deserved. The legacy that Kalle has created with the Dubuque Fighting Saints speaks for itself," said team president Robert Miller. "His experience and accolades only add to a historic precedent set by this organization. No question he is one of the best in the business and I am excited to see what the future holds for Dubuque Fighting Saints hockey."
"Kalle has shown tremendous growth over his tenure. He is very deserving of this title as he has expanded his areas of responsibility and at the same time excelled in those areas," said Peter Chiarelli, one of the founding members of the Fighting Saints' ownership, and the current VP of Hockey Operations for the St. Louis Blues. "He is global in his player recruiting and evaluation. He is very prepared and thoroughly inquisitive in the coach hiring process. It's been a pleasure to work with Kalle, watch him grow, and continue to uphold the high standards we have for the Fighting Saints organization."
Four players that Larsson has overseen as a Fighting Saint have gone on to see playing time at the National Hockey League level, including Joey Keane (2015-16), Hunter Miska (2015-16), Alex Steeves (2016-18) and Tyce Thompson (2017-18). Many more have gone on to play professional hockey in North America or abroad.
18 players who have suited up to play for the Fighting Saints were drafted by NHL teams that were acquired or drafted by Larsson, including Ryan Zuhlsdorf (Tampa Bay, 2015), J.D. Greenway (Toronto, 2016), Patrick Kudla (Arizona, 2016), Santeri Virtanen (Winnipeg, 2017), Cole Guttman (Tampa Bay, 2017), Simon Kjellberg (New York Rangers, 2018), Matthew Thiessen (Vancouver, 2018), Erik Portillo (Buffalo, 2019), Tyce Thompson (New Jersey, 2019), Lukas Parik (Los Angeles, 2019), Henry Thrun (Anaheim, 2019), Samuel Sjölund (Dallas, 2019), Matias Maccelli (Arizona, 2019), Ryder Donovan (Vegas, 2019), Alex Jefferies (New York Islanders, 2020), Braden Doyle (Los Angeles, 2020), Andrei Buyalsky (Colorado, 2021) and Philip Svedebäck (Boston, 2021).
Over 95% of players under Larsson's watch have committed to NCAA Division I schools. Academics and character have been foci for his teams. Three of the last four USHL Scholar Athletes have been Fighting Saints (Connor Kurth, Mason McCormick, Alex Steeves). Nine players have been named to the USHL All-Academic Team since the award's instatement in 2017.
As 2020 USHL GM of the Year, he drafted USHL Goaltender of the Year Erik Portillo, and USHL Forward of the Year/USHL Player of the Year Riese Gaber, as well as three other All-USHL selections. That team finished the COVID-shortened season with a 33-13-2 record in 48 games.
Larsson was named the Fighting Saints' Director of Player Personnel on August 12, 2015, and then was promoted to team GM on May 30, 2017. He served as USHL GM Chair for two seasons (2019-21), is a current GM representative of the USHL Competition Committee, and was a member of the USHL's Return to Play COVID Task Force.
Before joining the Fighting Saints, he served two seasons as Assistant GM and Director of Scouting for the Sioux City Musketeers. In his second season in Sioux City, the Musketeers finished first in the Western Conference.
Larsson graduated from Lawrence University with a double major in Government and International Studies, along with a minor in History. He lives in Chicago with his wife and two kids.
United States Hockey League Stories from February 8, 2022
- USHL Weekly Report - Week 19 - USHL
- Rutger McGroarty, Nathan McBrayer and Arsenii Sergeev Earn Weekly Awards - USHL
- Nathan McBrayer Named USHL Defenseman of the Week - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Kalle Larsson Promoted to Dubuque Fighting Saints President of Hockey Operations - Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Arsenii Sergeev Named Goaltender of Week - Tri-City Storm
- Waterloo Black Hawks Weekly Preview - Waterloo Black Hawks
- Lumberjacks Acquire Chase Clark from Tri-City in Exchange for Draft Picks - Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Fargo Force Acquire Two New Forwards - Fargo Force
- Stampede Announce Rescheduled Home Dates - Sioux Falls Stampede
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