An inside look at life in the front office of a pro sports franchise |

Truman Bartman, Staff Writer | 

The life of an American Hockey League (AHL) player involves a rigorous lifestyle with a heavy dose of travelling and training, being away from loved ones, and solely focusing on hockey. That lifestyle stretches beyond those who play in the AHL to all of the staff members of each team who mirror the same schedule.

Henderson Silver Knights general manager (GM) Tim Speltz has not only lived this life for decades, but he has also embraced it. His career in hockey is one that has spanned multiple generations and several roles. Driven by his love for the game and his enjoyment of working in it, Speltz has found himself working professionally in the game since 1990. However, unlike so many people currently in pro hockey, Speltz’s path to the professional ranks didn’t begin as a player.

Not necessarily being the strongest player growing up, Speltz found his role working within the hockey world off the ice. From there, his passion for the sport blossomed.

“It was a really good friend of mine who got me involved. He was the head coach of the Midget AAA Tigers in Medicine Hat, Alberta, then the main affiliate to the Medicine Hat Tigers, and he needed somebody to be the manager and to look after all the details of the team,” Speltz said. “I wasn’t sure about it at first, and I knew I wasn’t going to do it unless I was all in on doing it. When I started out doing it, I still had a full-time business to run.”

However, the time that Speltz spent with the AAA Tigers spawned future opportunities to work in the WHL, NHL, and now in the AHL with the Silver Knights in Nevada. One thing that has remained throughout Speltz’s time in all three leagues is his belief in never taking his role for granted.

“If I’m involved, I’ll always love it, and if I don’t love it, or if I wake up ever saying I have to go to work today, it’s over,” Speltz said. “It’s never happened, and I enjoy it every day. I love going to the rink. I love watching practice. I love working with coaches, trainers, and equipment managers; really, with every part, I just love it.”

Loving your job is one thing but being able to last in a variety of high-end roles and find success within each of them is another. Speltz was general manager for the Spokane Chiefs for 26 years, capturing success at the highest peak when he helped orchestrate the Chiefs to two Memorial Cup victories in 1991 and 2008. Beyond that, Speltz has managed the Canadian World Junior team, worked with the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs as a leader in their scouting ranks, won the prestigious WHL Governors Award for his lifetime contribution to growth and development in the WHL, and most recently, was part of the management team of the 2023 Stanley Cup winning Vegas Golden Knights.

Despite his many successes, Speltz says there isn’t a singular moment that stands out where he felt he had “made it.” He attributes a large amount of his success to being “process driven” and sticking to the steps that he knows can help him do his best.

“For me, experience and a proper foundation are both such important things,” Speltz said. “There are certain steps you have to take with anything, and I don’t think hockey is any different. If you’ve got a proper process, you’re going to get results.”

The fruits of those labours don’t always show up right away, but Speltz believes in the importance of remaining patient and staying focused.

“I think patience is another one of the things you have to have,” Speltz said. “I’ve learned that through experience. As importantly, you don’t know when it happens, but you just know that you’re more confident with what you believe in the longer you do it.”

There is a lot of correlation between the development that Speltz has experienced throughout his years working as a GM and what young hockey players go through in their careers. Speltz takes pride in being able to help put his team’s young players in the best possible places so that they themselves can flourish in their roles just as he has done in his.

The AHL is one place where the growth of young players is always a priority. Speltz believes that helping the young men on his teams take the next step is what makes the AHL such an important place.

“When you look at junior hockey, you need to have competitive teams, but the only way you’re going to have competitive teams is if you do a good job developing your young players,” Speltz said. “You have to look at development as the first step, and the only way you’re going to develop is with opportunity. You have to give those young players opportunities. And sometimes that’s not the easiest thing to do, because you can have some hard nights doing that.”

Beyond the confines of his work, Speltz is just as devoted to his family. Although Speltz has spent many nights away from home during the season, he credits his wife for the partnership and foundation that they have built together, along with the commitment that she and the rest of his family have made to support his hockey journey.

“When we moved from Medicine Hat in 1990, my wife questioned the hockey thing,” Speltz said. “We went to Spokane, and we had some success right away, which made it easier. She had a little more confidence. I was able to be in one spot for 26 years, which was great for my family.”

“You have to have a good support system, you can’t be in sports without a supportive spouse. You just can’t be. That part of it was great because she stayed home and raised our girls. I was on the road a lot doing the hockey thing. So you need a strong partnership with your spouse for sure.”

When his current role with the Henderson Silver Knights came about, his family played a major role in his decision to accept it. As Speltz describes it, most other opportunities within the AHL wouldn’t have been fit, but being in Henderson made the most sense for him and the rest of the Speltz clan.

“I’ve often said that if this opportunity was at a lot of other American League cities, I could probably look at that and say it wouldn’t have worked,” Speltz said. “I know my daughters are going to get down to see me. My wife loves to be there in the wintertime. So it’s been a perfect fit that way. I’ve been fortunate with the opportunities I’ve had.”

Like so many others in the hockey world, Speltz’s path has been somewhat unconventional. Certainly, having a strong support system has been critical. Moreover, perseverance, having a passion for his role, and maintaining personal convictions for growth and development are central to what has led to his achievements.

As the leader of the Henderson Silver Knights, Speltz continues to model the essentials for players as they pave their own path to the pros.

Truman Bartman is a Staff Writer for The Reflector 2024-2025.