Betting for yourself: Saskatoon hockey player looks forward to the future in the US sports business

This path has already included the rest of the analysis and internation of the Vegas Golden Knights contracts with Wasserman Media Group In Los Angeles. The company represents the likes of some of the game’s biggest stars in Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews.

While these players perform at the highlights of the night, Mpofu has made leaps in his own court. Over the past month, he graduated from UCLA School of Law and was hired by the Los Angeles Kings.

Mpofu’s love of the game came naturally from growing hockey in crazy Saskatoon, even though it didn’t feel so natural to his Zimbabwean parents.

“I was really involved in hockey when I was very young and my parents were kind of insecure about it,” he said. “None of my family members had played hockey before.”

Despite this, he crossed the lines at the grassroots level of the game and was selected by the Red Deer Rebels in the 2011 WHL bantam draft. He became distinctive forward with Saskatchewan’s male AAA hockey league Saskatoon Contacts and performed twice with the club in the Telus Cup, the country’s under-18 national championship.

But after one season with the rebels, Mpofu informed head coach Brent Sutter that he knew he would not be back for another season.

“I’ve learned a lot during my time at the red deer. One of the things I probably learned from Brent and probably one of the best lessons I took from him was self-assessment,” Mpofu said.

“It was something he emphasized a lot just about his ability to look at himself and evaluate his own game, his own situation and work ethic and if you are a responsible and trustworthy person.”

‘Bet on myself’

Mpofu grew excited about professional sports business decisions, especially as fans of the Colorado Avalanche. His fandom aroused curiosity about payroll decisions and possible ways to improve the hockey team outside of playing.

“When I kind of got the realization that ok, I might not be an NHL caliber, it was kind of a natural progression from there,” Mpofu said.

“I kind of decided to bet on myself.”

Mpofu has already looked at the business side of hockey and practicing law, so he decided to start training sooner rather than later and enrolled at the University of Saskatchewan, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science.

His bet paid dividends, a sign of Mpofu’s possible approval at UCLA Law School, which has a sports and entertainment program. It allowed him to participate in exercises such as mock negotiations, such as simulating sports losses.

Despite being one of his best players, Sutter couldn’t be more happy for him.

“He’s a real smart kid. He had a job to do; he had a dream of what he wanted to do,” he said.

“You knew he was going to be successful at it just because he’s gone for it and is just very loyal to what he wants to do, and committed, disciplined and hardworking.”

Home in Hollywood

The NHL season may have just ended, but MPofu’s career is just beginning as one of the newest members of the Los Angeles Kings office. As the team’s hockey and legal counsel, Mpofu will oversee contract negotiations, payroll management, collective bargaining and analysis with Kings when he starts with the team in August.

After talking to several teams, Mpofu decided to stay in California excited about the idea of ​​working with a hockey club in the midst of reconstruction after winning the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014.

“It was just kind of a perfect fit for me,” Mpofu said.

Mpofu joins a star-studded office that includes Hockey Hall of Fame players Luc Robitaille and Rob Blake, Stanley Cup champion at Avalanch in 2001, a team that made Mpofu fall in love with the business side of the game.

“Not everyone has the opportunity to do something you love and wake up every day excited to get to work and excited about different opportunities.” I really don’t take it for granted. “

Mpofu’s path to his current location has already given him unique opportunities.

While visiting a group of friends in Saskatoon in Los Angeles, he collided with a group of Pittsburgh Penguins, including Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang.

“I remember Sidney called Saskatoon” Toon Town “and he knew” Toon Town “from guys like Colby Armstrong[a Saskatoon native and former teammate of Crosby’s in Pittsburgh]. It was pretty fun, ”Mpofu said.

‘Outside charts’

Mpofu lists Saskatoon’s minor coaches Marc Chartier and Chris Jacobson as influential figures in his life, as well as Kelly Riou of next-level training and Brad Devine, a former agent for Thunder Creek Professional Player Management in Saskatoon who has known Mpofu through hockey. Community.

“Vukie is a class act. He’s a smart, hard-working young man who has an impact on the world of hockey. He’s mapped out where he wants to go in life, and combined with the huge work ethic he gets he wants to go,” Devine said.

“His attitude and maturity are off the list of his peers.

“I’m not betting, but if I were, my money would be for Vukie.”

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