Rosetown’s Mark Gasper, and Kindersley’s Connor Tate were announced last week as the Kindersley Jr. Klippers new marketing team. Both men have experience in the field and are exciting hires for the Klippers organization. Tate will bring his video production skills, and Gasper’s experience jumping into this role comes mostly through sales, though the lead man is coming from the WHL and does have experience with a junior hockey team and the know-how of it’s day-to-day operations.

(via @KlippersHockey on Twitter)

Mark’s father Doug Gasper is the current General Manager of the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL. He was promoted into the new role from his position as Assistant GM, where he had recruited his son to use his prior scouting experience to come act as another eye for the team.

“I’ve been scouting in the western league for the last seven years, and then I spent a little time scouting with Weyburn in the SJHL,” explained Mark, “I worked with Spokane for four years, and then I’ve been with Brandon for the last three. Ever since my dad got the head job he asked me to come over, that’s kind of how I got over there.”

Having been around the hockey business for awhile Mark is excited to head his own operation, with the single-man production team Tate at his helm to produce anything the Klippers need.

“I’m going to do more of the business side of it, and then oversee what Connor does as well. He will do most of the social media and production stuff,” said Gasper, “He’s got a lot of good ideas, so I’m just going to kind of let him run with it. He is a creative guy.”

He has been very impressed with Tate’s interest and aptitude in getting hockey content out so far, but back to Gasper’s connections to the hockey side of things, he knows that his time around the junior game should do nothing but benefit him.

“My background is more in sales and account management and stuff, but I have a pretty good handle on the day-to-day operations of a junior team.”

Gasper takes the job at 31 years old, while his dad Doug enters the GM role in Brandon at around 50 years of age. Mark will certainly look to make a name for himself, but with his dad’s NHL experience and pedigree in the hockey world it definitely isn’t the worst thing to help him along with his career. With so many different opportunities in the sport the possibilities can be endless once you build a resume, and the Gasper’s patriarch proved that with his highest role yet albeit at a lower level.

 (via Brandon Wheat Kings)

There is the considerable gap in talent and age, but when looking at it the junior and pro games are also two completely different business models. Most of the time the goals for a major junior team will fluctuate but mostly remain performance based, but keeping a team in town is still another battle that the business side of CHL hockey brings.

Mark knows that the importance of these business goals grow even more stepping down into Junior A, and he already has an idea of the road ahead to make sure a small town like Kindersley is ready and willing to support the team on opening night and throughout the season.

“We’re doing a season ticket drive right now, that’s kind of where our big push is. Then our home opener is the same time as the Goose Festival so we’re hoping to pack the barn that night and sell as many tickets as we can.”

The month of September is set to see main camp start for the Klippers on the 3rd, an exhibition doubleheader set for the 6th at home against Battleford, and the first official pre-season game against the same opponent on the 8th. Two more tune-up games in Nipawin and Melfort will go on the 14th and 16th, and then the Klippers will be playing Battleford again in a home-and-home series, that as mentioned will be apart of the festivities for Goose Festival weekend in Kindersley.