San Jose, California – The Western States Hockey League (WSHL) has announced that its Board of Governors has approved the application for ownership of the expansion Bay Area Seals Hockey Club to JAMISON ENTERTAINMENT GROUP (JEG).
JEG, founded in January 2011 and based in San Jose, was created to be involved in various sports and entertainment properties, both domestically and internationally, through investment, management and ownership. JEG is owned and operated by Mr. Greg Jamison and his partner, Mr. Chris Collins, with Mr. Jamison serving as the group’s President. JEG’s vision for the Bay Area Seals is clear & present; to ‘present a true Junior A opportunity for many talented Bay Area / Nor Cal hockey players who, after aging out of Youth hockey at 18, were denied advancement opportunities in the past.’
From 1996-2010, Jamison served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), the parent company of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) San Jose Sharks. In that role, Jamison oversaw all aspects of the day-to-day business operations and handled all company decisions regarding the San Jose Sharks, its American Hockey League affiliate, the Worcester Sharks, as well as HP Pavilion at San Jose and select HP Pavilion events.
During his tenure as President and CEO of the Sharks, Jamison led the transformation of the team into one of the NHL’s most respected and successful franchises. In his 13 seasons, the Sharks advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs 11 times, including capturing the Presidents’ Trophy in 2009 and berths in the Western Conference Final in 2004 and 2010. Under Jamison’s direct leadership, the Sharks ranked 7th among all 30 NHL teams in points earned and wins (530). In that same span, the Sharks also tied for 6th in the NHL for most playoff series played.
In 2007, Jamison was also elected by the NHL’s Board of Governors to the League’s 10-person Executive Committee. Other properties managed during Jamison’s time at the helm of SVS&E included Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes, the National Lacrosse League’s San Jose Stealth, the San Jose Grand Prix, the “Fight Night at the Tank” boxing series and Strikeforce Mixed Martial Arts, which was eventually sold to UFC. Outside of San Jose, Jamison also presided over three tennis properties: the SAP Open (San Jose, CA), the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships (Memphis, TN) ATP Tour events and the Cellular South Cup (Memphis, TN) WTA Tour tennis tournament.
Furthermore, Jamison led management teams for all or parts of several ice facilities in the Bay Area, including Sharks Ice at San Jose (official training facility of the San Jose Sharks), Sharks Ice at Fremont and Oakland Ice Center operated by Sharks Ice. Sharks Ice at San Jose, one of only 10 facilities in the United States with four or more NHL-size rinks, is the largest facility of its kindunder one roof west of the Mississippi River. The Sharks Ice family of ice rinks is home to the No. 1 ranked adult hockey league with over 4,500 registered adult players, according to USA Hockey.
Over the past 30 years, Mr. Collins has been a fixture in the youth, junior and professional hockey scene and a recognized international leader in the broadcast, digital streaming, content rights and sports business industries.
Along the way, he has operated as Investor, Founder, Partner, General Manager, Scout and TV & Radio Broadcaster in business start-ups, leagues and think tanks worldwide including digicasting, broadcast and pro sports.
Collins’ background also includes 25 years in the U.S. and global broadcast industries, as he was a top rated morning show / broadcaster host for more than 25 years in diverse markets like Sacramento, San Jose, San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle. He has also worked nationally and internationally as a broadcaster calling Euro soccer, NHL games, American college football and multiple professional fight/boxing bouts on numerous national networks.
In 2005, Collins opened the door to the development of ice hockey in China. By solidifying a strong presence on the ground and advising serious increased leadership, Collins was able to then deliver this program in a joint partnership to Mr. Jamison. Recently, both have opened discussions towards development in the Hong Kong and South Korean hockey markets.
Collins has won praise for vision and futuristic thinking in the content usage area. Using his cognitive TCP-IP delivery of sports and entertainment forced most major media to create a brand new digicasting business model. His work covers International TV Networks (Fox Sports, ESPN, B Sky B, Globo, Shanghai Media Group, etc.), distributors like IMG, Internet giants Google/YouTube, & Microsoft and global mobile leader DoCoMo Japan and many more.
“I have watched Mr. Ron White lead and build the WSHL structure while successfully and wisely pushing forward,” said Collins. “I know that great proven hockey people like Mr. John Olver in Idaho and Jay Johnson in Fresno, along with 19 other driven groups, are working in unison to truly grow the WSHL and make it a leader in the development of 17 – 20 year old players in North America.”
Collins continued by saying that, “from afar, both Greg and I were duly impressed by the business on and off ice within the WSHL and are truly excited about the chance to ‘give back’ to the Bay Area / Nor Cal hockey community with the Seals franchise and our WSHL partners.”
“The WSHL has been looking for the right ownership to represent us in the Bay Area and, in Chris Collins and Greg Jamison, we believe that we have that ownership team which will make for another very good partner in the WSHL,” explained President/Commissioner of the WSHL, Ron White. “As important, though, is the benefit their efforts will bring to the Nor Cal youth players looking to play college hockey.”
The primary goal of the WSHL is to promote players into the collegiate ranks
playing NCAA and ACHA college ice hockey. With the addition of the Bay Area
Seals, the WSHL will enter its 19th season with 22 teams which are located
throughout the western United States in communities such as:
San Diego CA
Long Beach CA
Valencia CA
Ontario CA
Fresno CA
San Mateo CA
Phoenix AZ
Peoria AZ
Rio Rancho NM
Boulder CO
Cheyenne WY
El Paso TX
Euliss TX
Grapevine TX
Wichita KS
No. Richland Hills TX
Ogden UT
Salt Lake City UT
Boise ID
Seattle WA
Medford OR
Tulsa OK