Matt Keator
Agent | Win Hockey Agency
Keator’s career as an agent began in 1997 after he served as a scout for the St. Louis Blues and played at Trinity College. He has represented Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, the New York Rangers’ Chris Kreider, Harvard alum Alex Killorn and UMass-Lowell’s Ron Hainsey at the NHL level. He is based in Wellesley, Mass.
Kent Hughes
Agent | MFive Sports
Hughes, a former captain at Middlebury College, has served a long legal career in the Boston area and is the current co-managing director of MFive Sports. The company’s clients include the Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron, local Connor Brickley, Boston College product Michael Matheson and Vincent Lecavalier, for whom Hughes negotiated an 11-year contract extension in 2008.
Peter Fish
Agent | Global Hockey Consultants
Peter Fish was navigating through the uncertainty of life after hockey in the late 1990s after a standout college career at Boston University when a friend steered him toward a career as a player agent.
The former BU goaltender from East Greenwich, R.I., had worked in marketing with Easton Sports and Nike/Bauer Hockey and didn’t have a great understanding of what being a player agent entailed.
"A friend said, ‘All you have to do is know the market, have a good understanding of the game, conduct yourself in a professional, trustworthy way, and you’ll be fine,’" Fish said.
It has worked out fine, indeed, for Fish, as he linked up with Global Hockey Consultants in 1999 and has been with the agency ever since. Some of Fish’s clients include Jack Eichel and Nick Bonino.
"Being an agent is about knowing the coaches and knowing management," Fish said. "It’s about having an understanding of each team’s cap situation.
"There are so many variables; it’s not just finding the team that is willing to pay the most money. Sometimes, that doesn’t work out in the best interests of the long-term relationship. You have to understand where a player fits best."
With a client list that includes one of the best young prospects in the game in Eichel, Fish’s profile appears to be growing.
"My favorite moment was watching Jack Eichel being selected in the draft as high as he did," Fish said. "That was pretty special seeing how hard he worked, and I could see how proud his parents were."
It’s no question the Boston University connection didn’t hurt Fish when it came to courting Eichel.
"It really has opened so many doors," Fish said. "The hockey community is a very small community. From everybody at BU, from former coach Jack Parker to current coach David Quinn, and all of the former teammates and alumni, they’ve made it such a small world. Everybody cares about everybody and wants them to do well. I don’t know where I’d be without the sport of hockey."
— DAN GUTTENPLAN
