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The opportunities are there, but the challenges make him happy where he is.
On Monday afternoon, the Soo Greyhounds announced a four-year contract extension for general manager Kyle Raftis.
For the 36-year-old, the regular challenges of being an Ontario Hockey League general manager have made the years, all eight of them since he was hired in the summer of 2014, go by quickly.
“It’s been a constant challenge,” Raftis said. “We’ve always had people going the right way, whether it’s coaches, video people, analytics…we always seem to be bringing in people that are motivated. They go on to other positions and you get to fill in. There are different players coming through. It doesn’t feel like I’ve been (with the team) for that long. It’s always kept it fresh for me on that side of it.”
“The crucial thing for me is, when you’re around hockey, you realize how some organizations are run,” Raftis also said. “For me, it’s got to be the right fit. I want to be working with good people that see the things the way we do and want to push each other and not just be satisfied. That’s what I find in the Sault.”
Running a team at the OHL level isn’t an easy task.
Asked about the toughest part of being an OHL general manager, Raftis said the turnover makes things tough at times.
“Sometimes you have a team that you see players growing at a different rate and you get to a spot and the year ends and you wish you could just tweak it,” Raftis said. “You don’t get to give out eight-year contracts. You have to start with a new group. The hardest part is when you see guys that have really big potential that you aren’t able to, for whatever reason, get that switch flipped on.”
Having learned a lot in eight years at the helm, Raftis said there are some things that have opened his eyes on the job.
“Working with different people and how different people see the game, it’s been eye-opening on that side of it just seeing how everyone operates just a little bit differently with the same goals,” Raftis said. “You want to be challenged and you don’t want to be stuck in your way."
Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t make things easy after it led to the early end of the 2019-20 OHL season as well as the cancellation of the 2020-21 season.
“Everybody was put into a spot where a majority of your topic had nothing to do with hockey,” Raftis said.
Raftis added that the pandemic made things tough “because you had a lot of questions that you didn’t have answers for, and you didn’t really know where to go find them.”
In speaking about the coaches he worked with, Raftis had high praise for Sheldon Keefe, Drew Bannister, and current coach John Dean and their respective staffs as well.
“Everybody has got their own personality,” Raftis said. “There’s always a different style in how they convey the messaging, but all of it has been very effective. Every coach we’ve had has been super passionate about what they do. They’re obsessed with it. It becomes something more than a job. They embrace it 24/7 and in a good way. They want to push these players to different levels both on the development side and on the team side.”
After completing the final year of his deal, getting his contract extension done just over six weeks ahead of training camp in late-August was exciting for Raftis.
“The last couple of years have been interesting with shutdowns and year ends and last year was crazy, so I’m excited about (the extension),” Raftis said. “It’s exciting to have it done. The one thing you don’t want to take for granted is how many good people work for the Greyhounds and how many people you get to surround yourself with. That’s something you can’t take for granted.”
“Kyle has done a tremendous job setting the tone and expectation of what it means to be a Soo Greyhound,” team president and governor Tim Lukenda said in a prepared statement.
The 2022-23 season will be the ninth for Raftis with the club after being hired in late-August 2014, taking over for Kyle Dubas at the time after the latter took a position with the Toronto Maple Leafs.