Brendan Shanahan is trying to bring moneyball to Toronto.
The Maple Leafs president announced the dismissal of Claude Loiselle and Dave Poulin from assistant general manager duties in favor of 28-year-old Kyle Dubas, who is known as the Billy Beane of hockey.
“Kyle is a young executive that has made a strong name for himself in hockey with a progressive style, work ethic and maturation beyond his years,” Shanahan said in a release. “He has a fresh approach that we feel will benefit our club for years to come.”
Previously, Dubas served as GM of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds — he was just 25 when he landed that gig. The young executive is a big numbers guy and has never played the game, but he helped turn the Greyhounds from OHL bottom-feeders to division winners in three seasons.
The hiring shows the growing acceptance of analytics in hockey, and the Maple Leafs hope the infusion of youth into their front office pays off.
Photo via Sault Star
