Executive Vice President and General Manager
 Brian Lawton was named executive vice president and general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning on October 22, 2008 after serving as vice president of hockey operations for less than four months. He was hired by owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie to rebuild the organization's hockey operations department with focuses on both the short and long term. He is responsible for all aspects of hockey operations, including the coaching and scouting staffs, player procurement and development, and minor league affiliations and operations.
Lawton spent the summer of 2009 quietly re-tooling Tampa Bay's roster through a series of calculated and well-planned moves that restructured the blue line, added firepower up front and improved the overall depth of the organization. First, Lawton secured things behind the bench, removing the interim tag from head coach Rick Tocchet, then he added defensive specialist and Stanley Cup champion Rick Wilson as associate coach later in the summer. He then went to work re-tooling the roster, beginning with the signing of one of the top available free agents in defenseman Mattias Ohlund. He was also able to add defensemen Matt Walker and Kurtis Foster in free agency as well as forwards Alex Tanguay, Stephane Veilleux and goaltender Antero Niittymaki.
Lawton was able to add a young franchise player with the second overall pick in the 2009 draft when the Lightning selected Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman. Hedman's selection came on the heels of the 2008 draft when Tampa Bay selected Steven Stamkos first overall. Stamkos went on to set the franchise record for most goals in a season by a rookie, with 23. The team's success under Lawton continued as he traded up to acquire a second pick in the first round for the first time in franchise history, selecting Carter Ashton. They were also able to select Slovakian Richard Panik, who was also high on the draft board, in the second round. Additionally, Lawton was able to build the organizational depth by acquiring Drew Miller, Todd Fedoruk and David Hale while still retaining the team's core of Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Paul Ranger, Ryan Malone, Andrej Meszaros and Mike Smith.
Before joining the Lightning in the summer of 2008, Lawton spent 14 years as a player agent, representing prominent NHLers such as Mike Modano, Mark Parrish and the current Lightning forward Jeff Halpern, to name a few. A native of New Jersey who grew up in Rhode Island, Lawton was drafted first overall by the Minnesota North Stars in 1983 and he skated in 483 NHL games over nine seasons for Minnesota, the New York Rangers, Hartford, Quebec, Boston and San Jose, recording 112 goals and 266 points with 401 penalty minutes. He also appeared in the Stanley Cup playoffs three times.
Having served four seasons as his team's player representative for the NHL Players Association, Lawton put that knowledge to use when he retired by becoming a player agent. He started his own firm, Lawton Sport and Financial, in 1994, and became a prominent agent, negotiating more than $300 million in player contracts.
Named three times to The Hockey News' list of the "100 Most Powerful People in Hockey," Lawton eventually sold his business in 1998 to Octagon Athlete Representation, one of the United States' largest sports agencies. Based out of Minneapolis, Lawton became Managing Director of Octagon's Hockey Division. With Octagon, Lawton built the second largest hockey agency in the NHL, with clients that included Bret Hedican, Keith Carney, Ryan Miller, and Kari Lehtonen.
A graduate of Mount Saint Charles Academy in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Lawton is noted for being the first United States - born hockey player chosen first overall in the NHL draft. He represented the U.S. on several occasions, including the 1982 World Junior Championships, the 1983 World Championships, the 1984 Canada Cup, the 1987 World Championships and the 1988 Canada Cup.
Brian and his wife, Angelina, reside in Tampa with their sons, Jack (13) and Nick (9), and daughter, Gabby (5).
Assistant General Manager
 Tom Kurvers enters his second season as Assistant General Manager after being named to the position on July 9, 2008. He is responsible for all personnel issues for the Lightning, including those in the minor leagues. Kurvers will assist Executive Vice President and General Manager Brian Lawton in all aspects of player evaluation and will have input on all player decisions. He will also serve as a scout on an as-needed basis.
Prior to joining the Lightning Kurvers served three seasons as director of player personnel for the Phoenix Coyotes. As director of player personnel he oversaw all aspects of the team’s scouting, including both the Coyotes’ amateur and pro scouting departments. He spent a total of 11 years with the Coyotes, including one as a radio analyst and seven as a professional scout. He also served as interim assistant coach for the final two months of the 2003-04 season.
Kurvers played in 11 NHL seasons from 1984-95, appearing in 659 regular season games, with 93 goals and 328 assists for 421 points. He also played in 58 NHL playoff games, recording eight goals and 30 points. He was a Stanley Cup Champion with the 1986 Montreal Canadiens.
Before joining the professional ranks Kurvers had an outstanding college career at the University of Minnesota – Duluth, setting numerous school records including: most career goals by a defenseman (43), most career assists (152) and assists by a defenseman (career -149 and season - 58). In 1984, he was honored with the Hobey Baker Award, WCHA MVP and was named an All-American. He was named to the WCHA Top 50 of All Time Team, and has been inducted into both the UMD and Bloomington Jefferson High School Athletic Hall of Fames.
Kurvers received his under graduate Bachelor Arts degree in Communications from UMD in 1984. While an active NHL player he began graduate studies in 1991, completing courses in the off seasons through 1996. Highlighted in the curriculum was an accredited seminar sponsored by the world renowned Aspen Institute. Upon retirement in 1997, he earned his Masters of Business Administration Degree in sports management from the University of St. Thomas.
Tom, his wife Heather, daughters Madison, Rose, and sons Weston and Roman, reside in East Gull Lake, Minnesota.
Director of Player Personnel
 Jim Hammett enters his first season as director of player personnel for the Lightning. The long-time scout was named to the position on July 9, 2008.
Hammett, a native of Kelowna, British Columbia, spent last season as the head amateur scout for the New York Rangers. Prior to joining the Rangers he served as the head scout for Canada’s Men’s National Teams for one year and was responsible for all of the men’s player evaluations for U-20 players, the selection of Canada’s future National Junior Team, and selection camps for Canada’s U-18 program. He won the Stanley Cup in 2001 as the head scout with the Colorado Avalanche and a World Junior Championship Gold Medal as the head scout for Team Canada in 2007.
Hammett spent eight years (1998-2006) as a scout with the Avalanche, including the role of chief scout from 2001-06. Prior to becoming a scout, Hammett served as the head coach for the Kelowna Spartans of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League, and spent a season as an assistant coach of the Western Hockey League’s Red Deer Rebels.
Hammett resides in Kelowna with his wife, Kimberly, and their son, Landon, and daughters, Ashlee and Lindsay.
Head Professional Scout
 Former NHLer Greg Malone enters his first season as head professional scout with the Lightning.
Malone spent the past two seasons as a professional scout with the Phoenix Coyotes, serving as the team’s head eastern pro scout, monitoring and evaluating professional players and NHL teams throughout the season.
He joined the Coyotes after spending 16 seasons as head scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins. In that role, Malone was responsible for the team’s amateur draft selections while overseeing all junior, college, high school and European scouting. During his time with the Penguins he oversaw the drafting of players such as Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, Martin Straka, Markus Naslund, Ryan Whitney and his son, Ryan Malone.
Malone played 704 career NHL games in 11 seasons with the Penguins, Hartford Whalers and Quebec Nordiques from 1976 to 1987, recording 191 goals and 501 points.
He resides in Pittsburgh and has two sons, Lightning forward Ryan, and Mark.
Head Amateur Scout
 Scouting veteran Darryl Plandowski enters his first season as head amateur scout.
Before joining the Lightning, he spent two seasons as an amateur scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Prior to that, he served eight years in the same capacity for the Buffalo Sabres. Before entering the NHL, Plandowski spent four easons as a scout for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League and two seasons as an assistant coach.
Plandowski played college hockey at Northern Michigan University from 1987 until 1991, recording 53 goals and 131 career points in 166 career games.
Plandowski resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia with his wife, Jill, and their three sons, Marshall, Oscar and Jack.
Medical Director
 A leader in the area of Sports Medicine and Arthroscopic Surgery, Dr. Ira Guttentag is entering his seventh year as medical director of the Lightning. With his extensive surgical experience, Dr. Guttentag utilizes the latest technology in treating sports injuries in athletes of all ages and levels.
A graduate of the University of South Florida College of Medicine, Dr. Guttentag completed his orthopedic training at New York City's Montefiore/Albert Einstein Hospital. Dr. Guttentag moved to Tampa for a one-year fellowship at the Matthews Orthopedic Clinic in Sports Medicine and Knee and Shoulder Reconstructive Surgery and has since become a fixture in the area's medical community. Since moving to the Tampa Bay area, he has served as team physician for Saint Leo University, The Tampa Tritons and the Tampa Bay Firesticks and as assistant team physician for the Orlando Predators. Dr. Guttentag also acts as orthopedic consultant for many Pasco County High Schools.
Dr. Guttentag resides in Tampa Palms with his wife and three children.
Head Athletic Trainer
 Entering his seventh year with the Lightning as head athletic trainer, Tom Mulligan oversees each aspect of the team’s medical and training operations.
Prior to joining the Lightning organization, Mulligan spent four seasons as the head athletic trainer and physical therapist for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League. While with the Bruins, Mulligan’s responsibilities included all traditional athletic training duties as well as massages and strength and conditioning of all players. He also served as the head athletic trainer for Team USA during the 2008 World Championships in Canada.
Mulligan is a 1997 graduate of Quinnipiac College in Hamden, Connecticut, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy with a minor in Biology. While at Quinnipiac he served as trainer for the men’s ice hockey team for three seasons and also provided services to all other sports programs at the school.
A native of New Bedford, Massachusetts, Mulligan and his wife, Kellie, reside in Tampa, with their sons, Tyler
and Zach, and their daughter, Abigail.
Assistant Athletic Trainer
 Mike Poirier is in his first season as assistant athletic trainer for the Lightning. He will assist Tom Mulligan with all medical and training operations.
A native of Smithfield, Rhode Island, Poirier joined the Lightning after serving as head athletic trainer for the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League from 2002-08. He joined the Bruins after spending the previous year as an athletic trainer with the National Football League's New England Patriots as they won Super Bowl XXXVI.
Poirier, 31, graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana with a B.S. in Exercise Science in 1999. He earned his M.S. in sports administration from Mississippi State University in 2001 and also is a certified strength and conditioning specialist. Poirier, who was a graduate assistant trainer with the M.S.U. football team from 1999-2001, also worked at the Patriots' training camps from 1996-2001.
Poirier resides in Brandon with his wife Mandy and their daughter, Emmie.
Massage Therapist
 Returning for his ninth year with the Lightning, Mike Griebel is responsible for performing sports massage before and after Lightning games and practices. He employs a variety of stretching techniques and works closely with the Lightning medical staff on rehabilitation of player injuries.
Griebel spent six years as resident massage therapist for Gold’s Gym of Venice, California. He worked at Universal Studios Hollywood performing massage on cast members and crew and conducted a private business in Los Angeles. Griebel has also worked at numerous amateur sporting events.
A graduate of both Nova Institute of Health and Technology and the Southern California Sports Massage Clinic, Griebel has studied under prominent instructors in his field. He is a specialist in the Hemme approach to soft tissue and certified in the Mattes method of active isolated stretching.
Griebel and his wife, Lauri, reside in Bloomingdale, Florida. They have four children, Kristina, Jessica, Soren and Trevor.
Equipment Manager
 In his 10th year with the Lightning, equipment manager Ray Thill is responsible for all equipment maintenance, inventory and ordering.
Prior to joining the Lightning, Thill served as the equipment manager for the Detroit Vipers of the IHL for one season. Thill also spent four seasons on the equipment staff of the Chicago Wolves of the IHL, winning a Turner
Cup Championship with the Wolves in 1997-98. He also served as the equipment manager for Team USA at the 2008 World Championships in Canada.
A native of Chicago, Thill is single and resides in Tampa.
Equipment Manager
 Rob Kennedy enters his second season with the Lightning in 2008-09.
Kennedy spent the previous two seasons with the Florida Panthers organization after two years as the head equipment manager for the AHL’s Cleveland Barons. Prior to joining the Barons he served as head equipment manager of the
Muskegon Fury for three years, where he earned a Colonial Cup Championship in 2002.
He and his wife, Heather, have a son, Quinn.
Assistant Equipment Manager
 Clay Roffer enters his second season as assistant equipment manager for the Lightning. He joined the Lightning three games into the 2007-08 season.
Roffer began last season with the Chicago Wolves in the Atlanta Thrashers organization before joining Tampa Bay. He joined the Wolves during the 2006-07 Calder Cup Playoffs. Prior to joining Chicago, Roffer served as the head equipment manager for the Bloomington Prairie Thunder of the United Hockey League and the Fayetteville FireAntz of the Southern Professional Hockey League for one season each.
A native of Miami, Florida, Roffer began his career in professional hockey in 1999 as a locker room attendant for the Miami Matadors of the ECHL. He went on to serve as assistant equipment manager for the ACHL’s Orlando Seals from 2002-04 and won the ACHL Championship with the Seals in 2004. He also served on the training staff for the 2004 WHA2 All-Star Game.
Roffer has a degree in business management and a minor in mass communications from the University of Central Florida. He is single and resides in Tampa.
 In his tenth season with the Lightning and second as director of team services, Ryan Belec oversees Lightning team travel, including air and ground transportation as well as hotel accommodations and team catering on the road. Additionally, he is responsible for travel related to player reassignments and relocation.
Before being named director of team services, Belec served in the position of assistant to the general manager for eight seasons. He assisted the general manager with every aspect of hockey operations for the Lightning. He also served as vice president of hockey operations for the ECHL's Johnstown Chiefs during the 2006-07 season.
A 2000 graduate of the Laurentian University School of Sports Administration in Sudbury, Ontario, Belec owns a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Sports Administration.
Belec and his wife, Jaime, reside in Tampa.
Manager of Hockey Administration
 Liz Sylvia is in her fourth year with the Lightning and will assist executive vice president of hockey operations Brian Lawton with the administrative functions of hockey operations.
Sylvia is responsible for all administrative procedures involved in maintaining player and coach contracts as well as the transfers and trades of players. In addition, Sylvia prepares written agreements between the Lightning and its minor league affiliates while coordinating correspondence with NHL officers and team executives.
Prior to joining the Lightning, the Massachusetts native served as the executive assistant to the president and CEO of the American Hockey League. She held that position for six years after previously working with the AHL’s Beast of New Haven.
A graduate of St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, Sylvia is single and resides in Tampa.
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