Bloomington Bison hire Dan Larmer as assistant general manager

Larmer joins the Bison from the 2023 Ontario Hockey League Champion Peterborough Petes.

A graduate of the Whitchurch-Stouffville Minor Hockey Association (WSMHA), Larmer’s early achievements included winning an OMHA Bantam Championship. He played NCAA hockey with the Mercyhurst Lakers, then began coaching with the WSMHA before moving to the Jr.A Stouffville Spirit of the OJHL as head coach and assistant general manager.

In 2015, Larmer joined the Peterborough Petes as a regional scout, a role he will continue to fulfill. During his tenure with the Petes, Larmer has been instrumental in achieving three banner-winning seasons — the 2017 OHL Eastern Conference Regular Season Champions, the 2023 OHL Eastern Conference Playoff Champions, and the 2023 OHL Champions.

“We are very fortunate to have Dan Larmer join our organization,” Bison GM and head coach Phillip Barski said in a statement. “Dan’s commitment to his craft and unparalleled work ethic truly set him apart. In the short time that we have been working together, he has proven himself to be a tireless worker and an excellent evaluator of talent.”

The Bloomington Bison will host the Indy Fuel at Grossinger Motors Arena in their lone preseason game on Saturday, Oct. 12. It’ll be the first time on ice for the Bison franchise.

Puck drop will be at 5 p.m. and tickets for the game will be available soon.

The Bison’s regular season opener will be at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, against their divisional opponent, the Toledo Walleye at Grossinger Motors Arena.

The Bloomington Bison don’t have any players yet, but they’re coming.

The ECHL’s summer meetings begin Tuesday and run through Thursday, then the NHL Draft will be held on Friday. Typically, player signing begins after that.

The ECHL on Monday announced the season-ending rosters as submitted by each of its member teams — other than the two new teams, Bloomington and Tahoe.

Season-ending rosters may include up to 20 players, but can’t include any players who did not sign an ECHL contract in 2023-24.

Each team is entitled to reserve rights to a maximum of eight players from the list of 20 by extending a qualifying offer by the end of the day on July 7.

If a restricted free agent is not signed to either an offer sheet or a contract by an ECHL team by the end of the day Aug. 8, the player shall be deemed an unrestricted free agent.