The Colorado Springs (Colo.) Gazette reported Tuesday morning that former United States Olympic Committee chief executive officer Jim Scherr of Colorado Springs will be announced as the first commissioner of the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference Wednesday morning.
The newspaper said an anonymous source close to the hire had confirmed the hire. Scherr was unavailable for comment.
The news conference is scheduled for 11 a.m. MST at Colorado Springs’ Penrose House, where the league announced its formation in July.
The Colorado Springs-based league includes charter members Colorado College, Denver, Miami, Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha and North Dakota. St. Cloud State and Western Michigan joined on Sept. 22.
Scherr is expected to hire a director of hockey operations, who will oversee officials, coaches, scheduling and other on-ice concerns, as well as a public relations director who will heavily promote the league across all platforms, notably social media, and through the league website.
The conference realignments were sparked by Penn State’s new Division I program, which prompted the other Big Ten schools to form a six-team conference that also begins play in 2013.
That league will include PSU, current WCHA members Minnesota and Wisconsin and CCHA schools Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State.
With Notre Dame headed to Hockey East, the WCHA will absorb the remainder of the depleted CCHA, which will dissolve after the 2012-13 season.
