1-On-1: with Bob Hoffman

Roadrunners Team President Bob Hoffman joined Adrian Denny and Jonathon Schaffer on this week’s Insider Podcast. For the complete conversation and to see what Hoffman’s Crumbl Cookie of the Week was, download this week’s show below. 

Listen to “Talking Hockey With The President” on Spreaker.

We’ve been saying for the last month that the Roadrunners are favorites to win the Pacific Division. How would you assess this team that we have coming this season?

It’s funny it feels like Deja vu from about a year ago; we were talking about the roster and going through it and I remember thinking that I don’t know if we had been any deeper. That depth that really hurt us two years ago when injuries happened and guys got called up, we were a little thin. Last year that depth was so apparent; when we needed a goaltender, Dylan Wells would step up, when we needed an Austin Poganski to jump in and have a great night, he did. I don’t know if I ever saw such a rotation of who the star of the game was last season. When I look at this year’s roster of the guys we have, I think we have double the depth than where we were last year. So, if last year was a good year because of the bodies and can sustain all of the flows that happen over the course of a hockey season, this year is going to be even better.

Would you say this 2024-25 Roadrunners team is the most exciting since the 2019-20 team that looked amazing but was cut short by the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Potentially; it certainly could be when you think back to those days of the guys like Michael Bunting and what he was doing during the season and knowing he was going to become a giant contributor one day. We kind of have that with some of our young guys here; the guys who are on that next step to get there. We had the dominant goaltender in Adin Hill that Matthew Villalta can very well duplicate and carry the team. Some nights when we didn’t play well, Hill put us on his shoulder and I think Villalta can do that as well. I do think there are some similarities to 2019 but again from a talent and depth standpoint, we’re even deeper and more talented now. I don’t think we can be setup any better.

Roadrunners Rapid Fire Questions: Bob described the below in one word or one sentence:

With how well the Roadrunners have been with developing players over the years, who do you think will be the next big rookie for us?

You’re right, every year we find one and every year it’s the ability go in there and perform. The interesting part of this year’s roster is that there really aren’t many of them. We mainly have returning players, NHL veterans and AHL veterans that are all part of the mix. I think the obvious answer to that question based on rookie camp and draft position is probably Maveric Lamoureaux. Fans won’t miss him because he’s six-foot-seven, he was tough at the rookie tournament, he stands up for his teammates when he needed too and is just a strong force offensively. He’s only going to get better and even at 215 pounds, he’s going to get bigger and stronger as he plays in his first professional season. I have yet to meet the young man but every indication from the hockey world and the hockey guys is that he is a tremendous person and works hard every day. I think he is going to be that next AHL star for us that eventually becomes an NHL super star.

How great was it to have an instant star like Josh Doan with us the last year and a half?

You can come up with so many superlatives and conversations; he would tell you himself that he’s so proud of his heritage and who he is, but you don’t want it to live on the last name. Let his play speak for itself and he truly does that; whether his last name was Jones or Thompson, he would’ve been an AHL All-Star. Having that name, what it does more than anything is knowing the characters of Shane (Doan) and Andrea (Doan) and how they are as just a family and such great people. You know that Josh has those good roots; the DNA is there and you know he’s going to compete every game. That means he’s going to be a good teammate and friend to the people with him the entire path.

You look at all the players that we’ve developed and sent to the NHL over the years. It takes great scouts to acquire talent and great coaching to develop that talent, but should the town of Tucson itself take a lot of the credit for the way the community helps the team and players?

Absolutely; everyone that has come here has nothing but good things to say about the market of Tucson. It’s a great place to learn and have that growth; whether it’s the beginning, middle or end of a career, it gives a great perspective of a market that has a lot of great things in it. You also can’t beat the weather for those guys and overall, even playing in the Pacific Division is such a win for so many young players and Tucson is a big piece of it.

A guy that is back for his fifth AHL season with the Roadrunners is Cameron Hebig. What do you think of his impact to the community and how great is it to have had him for all these years?

I can’t wait to watch him this season and last year you really saw his great play. He’s a leader now and he’s grown up in our system to the point where he plays as hard as anybody each and every single night. He’s gotten so much better as a two-way hockey player and he works so hard at it. He’s had great back-to-back campaigns and now it’s the conversation of if he’s in the Mount Rushmore of Roadrunner players. Cam is getting there as an all-time Roadrunner and to see him come in this year and hit some marks in the record books will be fantastic. With the community piece, you just can’t teach that. He wants to be a part of this community; he loves our fans and loves what Tucson is as a place to live. He’s certainly one of the great ones we’ve had

How was it for you as the Team President to see WhiteOut Tucson come back to the TCC last April and how does this team bring it back this season?

It was awesome; the energy was different and sure it didn’t go the way we wanted but if you can bottle up and sell the anticipation, fear and nervousness of game two, that would sell for a lot of money. That game two was something really special and unfortunately it didn’t go our way and not all of them do. You always have to have a winner and loser of a series, but you look at it and see what that energy was like. The response of the fans and Tucson with the surrounding areas in all of Southern Arizona was really cool. The AHL playoff format is unique and different; you can have a good year and not get a home playoff game, so it won’t be easy. Hopefully this year we can continue to be dominant, secure a top spot in the standings and host the playoffs early once again.

With all the moves we’ve made with the free agents we are bringing in, who are you most excited to see in a Roadrunners uniform for the first time?

There’s so many options and we don’t even know who will be here yet till training camp is over. I’ll be watching the big team’s camp this year more than any to be honest because it’s exciting to see who gets that start with us or who we may see down the road that makes the Utah club off the bat. When you see the guys who have come here and do damage against us like Andrew Agozzino, it’s great to now see him jump into the mix for us and see what he is able to do. Scouts that I know have also told me that Egor Sokolov has an extremely high ceiling that everyone is excited to see. Others have told me he has 40 goals written all over him and this could be that year.

What can we look forward to at Fan Fest to kick off the 2024-25 season and what’s your favorite part?

Just seeing everybody; it’s a long offseason so too see everybody in their jerseys and all the familiar faces is amazing. This truly is a family; we’ve connected with so many good people over the eight years we’ve been in Tucson. It’s awesome to reconnect after a summer and an awesome offseason, so that’s always my favorite part. Seeing the ice and feeling the cold air makes it feel like that initial kickoff and we’re ready to go for the next seven months.