Dubuque, IA — The Dubuque Fighting Saints and General Manger and President of Hockey Operations Kalle Larsson are thrilled to announce the addition of Jared Bussard to the organization as a Development Coach.

The addition of Bussard and the position to the Fighting Saints staff is an effort put forward to take player development to the next level and is an investment back into the players.

"After analyzing how to further establish our club as the premier development organization in junior hockey, we identified a need to add a full-time designated coach to work with our players individually," Larsson said. "We specified exactly what we were looking for and did an extensive search. Adding Jared as our Development Coach is an investment in our players and prospects. Our goal is the maximize the development of every Fighting Saint player and prospect, and by adding this position we will further elevate the player experience in Dubuque."

Bussard joins the Fighting Saints with an expansive resume having worked most notably with Total Package Hockey (TPH) as a Player Development Coach and doing extensive work with NAR Hockey, which is run by University of Michigan head coach Brandon Naurato.

"Jared is a student of the game with a passion for developing players," Naurato said. "He's a self-starter, hungry to be the best version of himself. I'm looking forward to watching his work with a top-notch organization like Dubuque."

Bussard also has experience coaching at the NCAA Division III level with Trine University and has worked in other developmental leagues (NAHL, USPHL) as well.

"I am extremely honored to be joining the staff and community in Dubuque," Bussard said, who will be relocating to Dubuque for the position. "I look forward to leveraging my experience from TPH, Trine University, and NAR Hockey to take player development in Dubuque to the next level. It's a blessing to have the opportunity to work alongside Kalle, Kirk, and Evan on a daily basis. I can't wait to get started building relationships and working with the players & staff this coming Fall!"

Bussard will spend most of his time working individually with players and prospects. Daily, he will take players through video breakdowns, work on specific skill areas, and metrically measure each player's progress and improvements in key areas.

"Jared separated himself with his knowledge and background in development, and by demonstrating his ideas how to improve our players and creating metrics to measure improvement and progress," Larsson added. "To ensure best possible development for our players, it was important for us that the person hired for this role would relocate to Dubuque and spend time with the players daily."

Bussard joining the Fighting Saints coaching staff marks the second such addition this offseason, joining Alex Kromm who was hired as an Assistant Coach last week.

"Evan and I are excited to have Jared join the organization," Fighting Saints Head Coach Kirk MacDonald said. "Adding him to our coaching staff will allow us to add another layer to player development and continue to enhance the player experience here in Dubuque."