Player agent thumbs-up
Being in the hockey business as a writer for more than 50 years often leads to me being asked by parents, relatives and friends of young players for recommendations when it comes to choosing a player agent aka family advisor.
To be sure, I do know some agents a lot better than others. And to narrow it down even further, there are four agents who I give a thumbs-up to based on history with and knowledge of. In alphabetical order they are as follows.
Kevin Cain. A multiple former Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League champion as both a head coach and general manager with both the Soo Indians and Soo Thunderbirds, he now operates Cain Hockey Management. Working solely, Cain operates throughout Ontario and Michigan and is known for taking on a small group of clients so as to offer more attention and one on one focus to players and their families.
Adrian Gedye. Based in Sudbury but someone who travels extensively while overseeing a staff of half a dozen, Gedye started with Uptown Hockey Management in 2010 before forming Pinnacle Hockey Management in 2017. The father of long time National Hockey League star forward Tyler Bertuzzi, Gedye has clients at the NHL, European pro, minor pro, Canadian and American universities, junior A and minor hockey levels and within the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Jr. Hockey League.
David Maciuk. Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario but having resided in Chicago for multiple decades, Maciuk has spent a lifetime in the game as a player, coach, founder and agent. At the helm of JDM Sports for more than 35 years, Maciuk is well known and well connected at the AAA minor hockey, junior hockey and American collegiate hockey levels and has an old school work ethic that serves his clients well. Maciuk is a nephew to legendary Original Six NHL player Gene Ubriaco.
Eddie Mio. A virtual legend of the game, originally from a working class ethnic neighbourhood in Windsor, Ontario who now resides in the Metro Detroit area, Mio’s hockey resume is both extensive and impressive. A former Division 1, All American goalie at Colorado College, Mio went on to play in the fledgling World Hockey Association before appearing in more than 200 games over eight seasons in the National Hockey League while stopping pucks for the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings. It was with Edmonton that he played with the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey and Mark Messier. As a player agent, Mio began with International Management Group, representing now retired stars of the game that include Sergei Fedorov and Joe Thornton. Now the director of North America as the principle player agent for Octane Sports, Mio’s firm represents players at all levels of the game, from minor hockey on up. One of his staff members with Octane Sports is Wayne Smith, a former OHL forward with the London Knights who ascended to become the head scout for the Boston Bruins, winning a Stanley Cup with them in 2011.
The ones you have mentioned here are good solid representatives for players who want or need their advice. Just beware of others that promise promote this and that and follow through when they are only ripping off players and parents for greed. As managing and coaching numerous hockey organizations over a great number of years, parents best do solid background checks and don’t be afraid to ask solid hockey people about these Advisors/Agents before your bank account dwindles with nothing to show for it.