Coyotes name alumnus Chayka as new GM

By Jason Winders and Dawn Milne

The Arizona Coyotes named John Chayka, HBA’14, as the organization’s new general manager at a news conference this afternoon. The 26-year-old Chayka is the youngest GM in NHL history.

“I am extremely grateful for this opportunity,” Chayka said. “We are excited about the challenge ahead and focused on taking our team to the next level. We have a great core of players and prospects here and a very bright future ahead of us.”

Chayka joined the Coyotes last season as assistant general manager/analytics. He was involved in all areas of hockey operations including NHL, minor league and amateur player evaluation, as well as player development and coaching support.

The native of Jordan Station, Ont., earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Ivey Business School in 2014. He was drafted to the Ontario Hockey League, but committed to going to university instead. He played Junior A hockey in Canada and was a top scorer in the Maritime Junior A League.