Matt Cooke

The Belleville, Ontario native brings over 16 years of experience at the professional level. Cooke won the Stanley Cup in 2009 as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins ranks near the top of his professional resume, perhaps Cooke’s accomplishments off the ice are what aspiring elite student-athletes and their families will respect most. In 2003, while a member of the Vancouver Canucks, the 42-year-old received the Fred J. Hume Award, given to the team’s “unsung hero.” A few years later, in his second NHL stop with the Penguins, Cooke has tabbed the Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award Winner, and was Pittsburgh’s nominee for the prestigious Bill Masterton Trophy, an honor presented annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.

After hanging up his skates following the 2014-2015 season, Cooke immediately started giving back to the game, serving as a member of the Orono High School coaching staff and leading the Minnesota Revolution ‘AAA’ program. Husband to Michelle, and father to Gabriella, Reece, and Jackson, Cooke believes the opportunity to lead TPH-Minnesota and carry out its vision through the Center of Excellence model is the perfect next step on his hockey journey.

Alan Keeso Named CEO as TPH Looks to Next 20 Years

(Nashville, TN – December 15, 2021) – TPH is excited to announce Alan Keeso as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2022. Having served as Strategic Advisor to TPH over the past 5 years, Keeso brings in-depth knowledge of TPH and its Center of Excellence (CoE) academy model, its team members, and culture.

 

“We’re so excited to have Al lead our team going into our next 20 years at TPH,” said TPH founder Nathan Bowen, who will move out of the CEO role and into the Chairman role, remaining heavily active in TPH. “Having celebrated TPH turning 20 years old this year, we are absolutely pumped about what’s to come as we strive to lead the world in positively impacting the lives of student-athletes. Al is the leader to help us scale that impact.”

 

In addition to consulting for TPH in recent years, Keeso has helped dozens of small and medium-sized businesses grow for over a decade as a management consultant, independently, as well as through Grant Thornton and BDC. When asked early in 2021 by Bowen and his Investing Partner Taso Sofikitis to work more closely with TPH, Keeso decided to make the move with his family to Nashville.

 

“TPH to its core is a purpose-driven organization, with an outstanding team of committed professionals,” said Keeso. “It’s an honor to have this kind of confidence from Nathan and Taso to take TPH to new heights, and the responsibility that comes with the CEO role to the TPH team and our student-athletes is something I take very seriously. We’re a team that’s poised for growth through our Center of Excellence Study/Train/Play academy model, association management, camps and clinics, The Prospect Exchange, prospects teams, and events, now featuring Champions League Hockey in partnership with World Hockey Group. All of these efforts and their growth will enable us to positively impact the lives of a greater number of student-athletes, not only at our current locations, but also at many new locations to come. The future is bright at TPH.”

Keeso’s own journey as a student-athlete, and ensuing career, lend perspective to what Bowen believes will continue to differentiate TPH to prospective partners as well as families weighing the incredibly important decision on where to have their children develop as students, athletes, and people.

 

“Al has not only been an aspiring elite student-athlete, who reached levels in hockey that many TPH student-athletes are working towards daily, but he also exemplifies to our families what the bigger picture can be when lessons learned from sports are applied beyond the game,” said Bowen. “That’s what TPH is all about, and that’s what we feel differentiates us; we prepare our student-athletes not only for the next level in their sport, but also mentor them on habits that will help them experience wild success on the ultimate journey – life. With Al’s leadership, that differentiator will only get stronger.  He has lived the ups and downs the game can throw at you and is an incredible role model for young aspiring student-athletes, because he never quit and he has used those tough times as motivation and lessons learned to prepare for the next challenge in life and hit it head on in pursuit of the next success.”

 

 

In addition to a successful business career, Keeso has earned two master’s degrees – an MBA and an MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management – from the University of Oxford. At Oxford, he also published a working paper, took to the TEDx stage, and was goaltender for the university’s historic ice hockey team, becoming the only men’s player in the club’s history to have earned an Extraordinary Full Blue, the highest honor in sports at Oxford. Keeso also served as an infantry officer in the armed forces reserves and ran in a federal election.

 

A native of Listowel, Ontario, Keeso played hockey in his hometown before joining the Huron-Perth Lakers AAA organization and continuing on to Jr hockey with the Listowel Cyclones, Strathroy Rockets, and Sarnia Blast of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOHL). He then went to Boston to study at Wentworth Institute of Technology, where he was a goaltender for the varsity NCAA Division III hockey team and graduated with a BSc in Technology Management with honors.

 

“Having grown up in the game of hockey, I understand the opportunities for growth that youth sports provide for young people, on and off the ice, field, and court,” said Keeso. “Team members at TPH are deeply committed to the holistic development of student-athletes, knowing that the skills and habits learned extend well beyond the game to many other arenas of life. As a result of Nathan’s leadership and an all-star team of people, we have a great foundation in place as we head into ‘The Next 20’ at TPH.”

 

If you are interested in learning more about our #StudyTrainPlay model at the TPH Center of Excellence, Alan and other key members of our team will be participating in a Nationwide Virtual Open House on January 10th at 8:00 PM EST. Register for free here!

Hammerschmidt Brings Experience and Expertise to Minnesota

TPH Minnesota, the world leader in positively impacting the lives of student-athletes through sport, is thrilled to announce that Lindsey Hammerschidt was recently hired as the Head of Academics for COE Minnesota. Hammerschmidt brings an abundance of expertise and background from Rasmussen University in management and working with a wide range of students.     

 

“When I first met her, she had a really outgoing personality,” said Matt Cooke, Director for TPH Minnesota. “And she was so excited to work with kids, which is the reason why we (TPH Minnesota) are here.”

 

As the Head of Academics, Hammerschmidt will work on-site as both a coach and mentor to student-athletes while building a thriving learning environment for everyone. She will teach organizational skills and responsibility while implementing ongoing support for students and families. Hammerschmidt will leverage her sharp communication skills as a principal liaison between TPH hockey staff, teachers, and parents. As well as hiring a new strengthening and conditioning coach, Hammerschmidt will be an essential asset to TPH Minnesota.  

 

Before TPH, Hammerschmidt worked as an Admissions Manager for Rasmussen University, where she collaborated with leaders on strategies for recruiting students and coached new hires on recruitment strategies and professionalism. Hammerschmidt has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from St. Cloud State University with a Business Management Minor. 

 

Hammerschmidt brings with her an immense amount of experience in guidance and professional development within the academic world. Additionally, she is currently in school to receive her Master’s Degree in Human Resources Management at Rasmussen University. 

 

“I’m really excited to work with younger kids,” said Hammerschmidt, “I’m used to working with adults, so helping [the kids] guide them through their academic journey and hockey training as well.”

 

To learn more about our Minnesota TPH CoE, click here. 


About TPH

Founded in 2001, TPH seeks to become the world leader in positively impacting the lives of student-athletes through sport. TPH platforms include association management, elite prospects programs, tournaments and showcases, camps and clinics, and its hallmark Center of Excellence academy model, serving over 10,000 student-athletes annually throughout 15 U.S.-based divisions. TPH prides itself on taking a holistic approach, one that emphasizes the development of the individual in four ways: (1) as a player within a team setting, (2) as an athlete, dedicated to reaching their physical potential, (3) as a student, working to achieve their academic goals, and most importantly, (4) as a person, striving to win the ultimate game, and that’s the game of life.

Wilson Housley

Housley, a native of Stillwater, Minnesota prides himself in bringing passion to the rink each day, with high energy and a focus on getting better for the future. Wilson brings a decade of instrumental experience, working with elite student-athletes from the National Hockey League (NHL), the United States Hockey League (USHL), NCAA, Juniors, High School, and youth levels across the Midwest.

As a son of a coach, he has grown up in a rich hockey household, where he has benefited from family knowledge. His father, Phil Housley, is one of the most prolific scoring defensemen in NHL history, an NHL Hall of Fame player, and the current assistant coach for the Arizona Coyotes of the NHL. As the tradition of coaching has continued, Housley has held positions with the Thief River Falls Norskies of the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) as Head Coach, Assistant GM & Director of Player Personnel. More recently, he spent the 2020-2021 season as the Assistant Coach for the Tri-City Storm in the USHL.

Housley possesses credentials that consist of Bachelor of Science in Integrative Science and Arts, Communications & Leadership from Arizona State University. He also holds an Associate’s Degree from Century College in White Bear Lake, MN.

Lindsey Hammerschmidt

Before TPH, Hammerschmidt worked as an Admissions Manager for Rasmussen University, where she collaborated with leaders on strategies for recruiting students and coached new hires on recruitment strategies and professionalism. Hammerschmidt has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from St. Cloud State University with a Business Management Minor.

Hammerschmidt brings with her an immense amount of experience in guidance and professional development within the academic world. Additionally, she is currently in school to receive her Master’s Degree in Human Resources Management at Rasmussen University.