John Chayka, Arizona Coyotes General Manager

Deb Placey chats with John Chayka, the General Manager of the Arizona Coyotes. Chayka discusses how often people bring up his age (1:03) and how his transition to the NHL was made easier by veteran general managers who went out of their way to welcome him into the fraternity (2:00). He explains how his passion for hockey began (3:45), what allowed him to start his first business at the age of 19 (5:17) and how he learned from his father’s experience as a serial entrepreneur (6:08).

He points out why he chose to attend Ivey Business School (10:30), what he analyzes when making hockey decisions (13:13), and how much he leans on the “eye test” when evaluating players (14:00). John reveals his personal connection to the fast food restaurant chain Wendy’s (15:51), describes the biggest challenge currently facing the Arizona Coyotes (19:05) and tells us about his interactions with front office members of the Arizona Diamondbacks (20:40). He praises the NHL’s focus on player and puck tracking and explains why he believes the data collected from tracking will be invaluable to fans, players and teams (27:35).