League Staff

Jim Combs, Commissioner

Jim Combs was named the third commissioner of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) prior to the 2007-08 campaign. Combs is a native of Fairfax, Virginia, where he grew up with a passion for hockey and golf. These interests have led him through many career developments.
   
Combs began officiating hockey when he was 18 years old. Combs also worked the video replay for the National Hockey League (NHL) in Greensboro, North Carolina the first two years of the Hurricanes. After working full time in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) for 4 years and working in the American Hockey League (AHL) during the last 2 years, he got into golf in Charlotte, while continuing to work part time as an ECHL official until 2006.
   
He started working at Ballantyne Resort, a four star and four diamond Luxury Collection Resort, three months after the golf course opened and was there until 2007 when he came on full-time with the SPHL. Combs started as an assistant pro two years later, became the Golf Events Coordinator and then the Head Golf Professional. He trained all resort employees on customer service and exceeding the needs of guests. During this time, he also served as the head coach of the men's golf team at Queens University, a NCAA Division III university in Charlotte. The Commissioner is a Professional Golf Association (PGA) Class "A" member, a graduate of the Golf Professional Training Program (GPTP) and also a private pilot. Combs is aiming at expanding the SPHL and returning professional hockey to many cities in the South that once had it.

Doug Price, Vice President of Hockey Administration

Entering his second season with the SPHL, Doug Price brings considerable minor league hockey experience to the league, having spent 11 years with the East Coast Hockey League office and another four with the ECHL's Texas Wildcatters.

Price joined the ECHL in 1991 as the league's first Director of Information before moving into hockey operations the following season, where he worked with Commissioner Pat Kelly on the day-to-day administration of the league.  Price remained in the Hockey Operations department for the next 10 seasons, including the last four as Vice President of Hockey Administration under President Rick Adams, where he was responsible for all league transactions, the monitoring and compliance of League playing rules in relation to team rosters, player contracts, salary caps and player eligibility.
   
In 2002, Price joined Rick Adams as he started the expansion (Beaumont) Texas Wildcatters.  During his four seasons with the Wildcatters, Price oversaw the hockey operations, ticket and public relations departments and served as acting general manager for the 2004-2005 season.  On September 9, 2005, he was officially named Wildcatters General Manager.  Unfortunately, his term as GM was short-lived as Hurricane Rita struck the Beaumont area just 15 days later, forcing the suspension of play for the 2005-2006 season.  In late October, Price temporarily relocated to California, where he oversaw the Long Beach Ice Dogs ticket department and all Ticketmaster operations, assisted in game-night merchandise sales and directed on-ice promotions for Ice Dogs home games for a majority of the season.  In March of 2006, Price left the sport and rejoined his family in North Carolina, where they had relocated following their evacuation from Hurricane Rita.

Scott Brand, Director of Officiating

Scott Brand was named the SPHL's Director of Officiating prior to the 2008-09 season. He has been an asset to the SPHL over the past four years as a consultant with the training and development of on-ice officials. He is entering his 12th season with the USA Hockey Officiating Development Program. Brand was a referee both in junior hockey in the USHL from 1982-83 to 1991-1992 and on the professional level in the IHL in 1986-87 and 1987-88 and the ECHL from 1988-89 to 1991-92. The St. Paul, Minnesota native also has experience in hockey as a player and as a team administrator. Brand played three years of junior hockey in the CJHL with the Chicago Dundee Knights in 1982-83 and 1983-84 and the Rockford Roadrunners in 1984-85. He was the general manager of the Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) from 1992-93 to 1995-96 and then the vice-president of operations for the Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) in 1996-97 and 1997-98.

The SPHL is a member of the USA Hockey Officiating Development Program (ODP), which is primarily a training program for American hockey officials.  The ODP is in its thirteenth season and works with several different levels of junior and professional hockey across the United States.  Officials are selected through USA Hockey Officiating Development camps and by attending tryout and training camps held through the country.  Officials are usually in the program between one and three seasons before advancing to higher level hockey such as professional and Division I college.  Just like players, the officials are in junior hockey to learn, develop and advance.  Officials in the ODP are supervised, trained at camps, receive copies of game DVD's for their review and evaluated by teams and their peers.  On any given night during the hockey season, current and former ODP and SPHL officials can be found in every Division I college and  professional hockey league, including the NHL.  Currently, four former ODP officials are working in the National Hockey League.