Las Vegas Hires Karpan, Campese

The Las Vegas TBAs and GM George McPhee have continued to add strong hockey voices to their front office, today hiring Bruno Campese as an amateur scout and Vaughn Karpan as their director of player personnel.

Karpan, 55, had been with the Montreal Canadiens organization since 2005, and last year was promoted to director of professional scouting. During his playing days, Karpan was a member of the Canadian national team from 1983-1988 and competed at two Olympic games, coming in fourth both times (the Soviet Union won both tournaments).  Regarded as an exceptionally knowledgeable hockey mind that leans slightly analytical at times, Karpan will represent a good balance to a front office with long-time GMs in McPhee and assistant general manager Kelly McCrimmon.

Campese is a former head coach and general manager of the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL, and has been around the game for a long time going back to his selection by the Boston Bruins in the 12th round of the 1982 draft. He never made it to the NHL, though he did play professionally in a handful of other countries around the world. Campese also competed at the Olympics, this time the 1994 games for his home country of Italy. Though it’s not clear where his territory will be, bringing in a scout with experience in less-known hockey countries like Italy and Austria can never be a bad thing.

These hires represent some of the first few that don’t have immediate ties to McPhee from the Washington Capitals organization, though McCrimmon would be very familiar with Campese from his days in the WHL, and played with Karpan in junior hockey with the Brandon Wheat Kings in 1979-80.