David A. Andrews
President and Chief Executive Officer

As he enters his 16th season as President and CEO of the American Hockey League in 2009-10, David Andrews continues to solidify a position as one of the sport’s most influential executives. He has guided the AHL into unequaled times of prosperity, directing the league to record levels of attendance and exposure while expanding its geography across the United States and Canada.

Under Andrews’ direction, the AHL has become the sole primary development league for all 30 National Hockey League organizations. In 2001, he led one of the largest expansion efforts ever in professional sports, a complex enterprise of bringing nine new cities into the AHL. The AHL’s footprint has grown dramatically during Andrews’ tenure, with successful franchises throughout the Northeast and Midwest and in major North American markets such as Chicago, Toronto, Cleveland, Winnipeg, Houston, Milwaukee and San Antonio. Andrews has also worked to ensure the league’s continuing success in smaller historical and traditional markets like Rochester, Springfield, Portland, Providence and Binghamton.

The 2009-10 season sees three new teams joining the AHL. The league has solidified its presence in Texas (Austin), reached the west coast for the first time (Abbotsford, B.C.) and returned to one of its most successful small-town markets (Glens Falls, N.Y.)

League attendance has climbed dramatically under Andrews’ leadership, more than doubling since 1994. The AHL set all-time attendance marks during the 2004-05 season, averaging 5,960 fans per game in the regular season and surpassing the 7-million mark overall (7,102,909) for the first time in its history. Over the last eight seasons more than 52 million fans have attended AHL games, an average crowd of nearly 5,500 per game.

The annual AHL All-Star Classic and Calder Cup Playoffs have become marquee events for the American Hockey League during Andrews’ tenure, recahing audiences worldwide every year on TV, radio and the Internet. Andrews was instrumental in re-introducing the All-Star Classic in 1995 after a 35-year absence, and the 2010 event in Portland, Maine, will continue the tradition of showcasing the best young stars in hockey on an international stage.

As a result of Andrews’ direction and leadership, the AHL boasts an impressive list of corporate partners who have used the growing AHL as an effective tool for marketing their products and services, highlighted by a historic partnership with Reebok that has become the foundation for the league’s marketing, licensing and on-ice branding strategies.

A native of Nova Scotia, Andrews assumed his duties as AHL President in July of 1994. He came to the league office with a first-hand knowledge of the AHL, having served as the Edmonton Oilers’ director of AHL operations for seven years, building the Cape Breton Oilers franchise into one of the most successful AHL clubs both on and off the ice. The Oilers captured the 1993 Calder Cup championship and missed the playoffs only once in six seasons. The Oilers set a league record with 36 sellouts during the 1990-91 season, and they sold out 118 games in a four-year span from 1989-93. Andrews was awarded the 1990 James C. Hendy Award as the AHL’s outstanding executive.

Prior to joining the Oilers, Andrews was employed by the government of Canada as a senior consultant with SportCanada. In that position, he was responsible for providing direction to five national Winter Olympic sport organizations in the development of the national team for the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary.

Andrews’ hockey background includes serving as head coach and director of hockey operations for the Victoria Cougars of the Western Hockey League from 1982-84, and he served as an assistant coach for the Cougars when they represented the WHL in the 1981 Memorial Cup. He has also served as head coach of the 1982 Canadian National Under-18 Team and as an assistant coach at the 1985 Canadian Olympic Hockey Team training camp.

Andrews was the Hockey Development Coordinator for the Province of British Columbia from 1975-80. He served 10 years on the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association’s Developmental Council and was chairman of the coaching committee for CAHA during that time.

For his contributions, Andrews was honored with induction into the British Columbia Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in 2006.

During his playing days as a goaltender, Andrews was a conference all-star and MVP at both Dalhousie University and the University of British Columbia. He played four years professionally for RAAK in the Dutch first division.

Dave and his wife, Marleen, reside in Wilbraham, Mass. They have three children: Chrissy, Brad and Jeff.