DON WADDELL
Executive Vice President and General Manager, Atlanta Thrashers
Executive Vice President, Atlanta Spirit, LLC

Since being named as the team’s first general manager in June 1998, Executive Vice President and General Manager Don Waddell has guided the Thrashers from their inception, becoming one of the league’s most experienced and respected executives.

In recognition of his leadership role of Atlanta Spirit, LLC, the parent company of the Thrashers, Hawks and Philips Arena, Waddell was named as an executive vice president of the organization this past offseason.

A veteran of 30 years of professional hockey as a player, coach and manager, Waddell has worked diligently to establish an organization prepared for success now and in the long-term future. His work has culminated in a franchise that features a dynamic combination of skilled youth, veteran leaders and experienced depth at each position.

During the 2008-09 season, Waddell oversaw a second-half resurgence of the team, engineering several strategic moves that led to a 22-18-1 record over the last 41 games, including a 17-10-1 mark over the final 28 games. Through mid-season transactions, Waddell added key talent, such as Rich Peverley and Anssi Salmela, and collected a number of prospects and valuable draft choices, resulting in the team’s improved play and bolstering the future of the organization.

In order to build on the late-season success of last year, Waddell entered this past offseason with the intent of adding a top-four defenseman and a top six forward, retaining key players from last season, amassing several top prospects and bolster the team’s hockey operations department.

Waddell’s first goal was met in July when he engineered a pair of acquisitions that brought two high-caliber players to the team. Those transactions gave the Thrashers a top-tier defenseman with scoring ability in Pavel Kubina, acquired from Toronto, and a high-scoring top-line forward with Nik Antropov, who signed a four-year deal with the team.

Knowing the important role they played in 2008-09, Waddell also worked to re-sign several vital players from last season that had expiring contracts, keeping them with the Thrashers. Retaining these players, including Colby Armstrong, Marty Reasoner, Anssi Salmela and Chris Thorburn, allowed the Thrashers to keep the hardworking, high-character core of the team intact.

These moves, added to the talented young stars already on the roster, such as Ilya Kovalchuk, Bryan Little, Tobias Enstrom and Zach Bogosian – as well as the veteran leaders like Slava Kozlov, Ron Hainsey and Todd White – give the Thrashers a well-rounded roster built for immediate success.

At the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Waddell added nine prospects to the organization, including fourth overall selection Evander Kane. These players, along with the numerous top prospects already in the team’s system, such as Angelo Esposito, Riley Holzapfel, Arturs Kulda and Spencer Machacek, give the Thrashers a talented crop of young players that will soon begin to make their mark in the NHL and lead the Thrashers well into the future.

In June, Waddell fulfilled another goal by hiring longtime NHL executive Rick Dudley, who has more than 40 years of experience in professional hockey. In naming Dudley associate general manager, Waddell added a highly-successful and respected executive to the organization to assist in scouting and player development.

Waddell has a long-standing relationship with USA Hockey as a player and manager. He serves on the four-member National Team Management Advisory Group that assists in the selection of U.S. men’s national teams, including the team that will compete in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, and was the general manager for the team that played in the 2006 Winter Games in Torino.

He also served as the general manager for the U.S. teams at the 2005, 2002 and 2001 World Championships and was the assistant general manager for the 2004 and 2000 World Championships and the 2004 World Cup team. As a player, Waddell helped the U.S. to a Gold Medal at the 1983 World Championships.

In the community, Waddell is active in numerous charitable programs and has been instrumental in developing the Thrashers deep roots in the Atlanta-area. He has played a key role in the growth of hockey in the Atlanta market through his involvement in the youth hockey community and his promotion of the sport.

Waddell came to Atlanta after building two professional hockey franchises (San Diego and Orlando of the now defunct International Hockey League) and serving as assistant general manager for the 1997-98 Stanley Cup-champion Detroit Red Wings. Waddell was vice president of RDV Sports from 1995-97, where he served on the executive committee, which oversaw operations of the NBA’s Orlando Magic, the Solar Bears, Magic Fanattics (retail) and Magic Carpet Aviation.

While at RDV Sports, Waddell served as vice president and general manager of the Orlando Solar Bears from 1995-97. He held the same role at the IHL's San Diego Gulls from 1990-95, where he also served as the head coach for the 1991-92 season, taking the team to the franchise's first playoff berth. Prior to San Diego, Waddell spent two seasons with the Flint Spirits of the IHL, for which he served as head coach/general manager in 1988-89 and general manager in 1989-90. Waddell was twice named IHL Executive of the Year (1992-93 and 1995-96).

Waddell's playing experience includes being player/ coach for the Flint Spirits from 1986-88 and the Toledo Goaldiggers for the 1985-86 season. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 1978 and spent three years with the organization from 1980-83.

He played more than nine seasons of professional hockey, finishing with 372 points (95 goals, 277 assists) in 404 games, mostly in the IHL. His best season came in 1981-82, when he finished with 95 points (26 goals, 69
assists) for Saginaw and earned the Governor's Trophy as the league’s top defenseman. He was named as an IHL First Team All-Star in 1982 and 1986 and an IHL Second Team All-Star in 1988.

Waddell played Division I hockey at Northern Michigan University from 1976-80, where he majored in business management. He was inducted into the Northern Michigan University Sports Hall of Fame in 1992 and was named to the 1970s CCHA All-Decade Team. He finished with 172 points (52 goals, 120 assists) in 120 career games at Northern Michigan University.

He and his wife, Cheryl, have a daughter, Chelsea, and reside in Duluth.