(January 3, 2014) When the first puck of the Madison Capitols inagural season drops, Ryan Smith will be fulfilling the first step of a childhood dream. An STAA client, Smith has been hired as the Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations for the Capitols, a United States Hockey League expansion team.
The Capitols begin play in the 2014-15 season.
“Since I was 11, I dreamt of doing play-by-play broadcasting. Since age 15, I focused almost exclusively on hockey. By joining a league as nationally respected and talented as the United States Hockey League, I know that, like many of the players who enter the league, it is just the first rung of a ladder that will hopefully land me in the NHL someday, my ultimate dream,” Smith smiles.
“My father’s work partner had a brother who is on the ownership group of the Capitols. Very early on, shortly after I graduated from Penn State, I was able to develop a relationship with him, and he was so gracious in accepting my materials and passing me onto other members of the ownership group and eventually the team president.”
While he didn’t need his STAA Talent Page for the Capitols application, Smith has received tangible evidence of the Talent Page’s effectiveness.
“I had received phone calls at various times in the summer looking for part-time work throughout the state. While I unfortunately was at a busy stretch at that time, each call I received, the STAA page was referenced, so I know for a fact that the profiles are a heavily used resource by the employers and I honestly would recommend that others keep on peppering potential employers with links.”
A 2013 graduate of Penn State, Smith had the opportunity to broadcast the Nittany Lions’ debut season in NCAA hockey. The thrill of experiencing that first season makes the new job with the Capitols extra exciting.
“For me, the fact that it was an expansion team actually increased my passion and excitement level for wanting to run the door down and get the position,” Smith says.
“I hope that someday, years down the road, fans in Madison can look back at this rebirth of the Capitols and associate memories with my voice. I want to be a face of the franchise and one who represents the class and pride that comes with junior hockey in a state as hockey-crazy as Wisconsin.”
(Visit Ryan’s STAA Talent Page).