From Kings Goalie to Junior Club Owner and Coach, Jamie Storr Finds the Perfect Balance—Professionally and Personally

An all-star goalie coming off a stellar junior career in Canada, Jamie represented his home country for gold medal wins in the U17, U18 and U20 levels. With back-to-back gold medals in the illustrious International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Championships, he quickly carved a name for himself.

His performance at the 1995 Hockey World Champion-ships earned Jamie a spot as the backup goalie on the Canadian Men’s National Team. This opportunity led him to win two national titles in just one year: as goalie for the Canadian World Juniors Team and the Canadian Men’s National Team.

Drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1994 NHL entry draft, he was the seventh pick overall and the first goalie to be chosen. Jamie played on the Ontario Hockey League for a year before spending the next three seasons on the Kings’ minor league teams—the Phoenix Roadrunners and the Long Beach Ice Dogs—within the International Hockey League. Once Jamie made his NHL debut, he became a recognizable Kings player—even appearing in a major television commercial for Powerade.

Jamie met his wife, Nicole, in sixth grade. They started dating in high school and married by 22. They now have three children: Tyson, Olivia and Luke. Tyson and Luke both play junior-level hockey.

When Jamie retired in 2009, he searched for job opportunities where he could work and spend quality time with his family. “When I was playing, I only had to worry about myself,” he says. “What I realized after retiring is that I was really selfish. Every player that plays professionally has to be selfish. You put yourself ahead of your family, friends, your wife, ahead of everything. That is why you are successful.”

The search led Jamie to the assistant coaching job for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings for the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League in the U15 and U16 age groups. He also started the Jamie Storr Goalie School that operated at the Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo.

These ventures prepared him for what was to come. In May 2019 Jamie purchased the Oakville Blades, a junior club in the Ontario Junior Hockey League. “Hockey in Canada is like the sand in Manhattan Beach. It is second nature—so accessible, so many arenas, so many teams,” explains Jamie. “There are 20,000 kids playing minor hockey in Toronto alone. That would be like 20,000 kids playing in just Los Angeles.”

For Jamie, owning this team checked all the boxes he was looking for in his next chapter of life. Now he can coach his older son before he leaves for college and spend quality time with him. “I thought, ‘How great would it be if I could go to work with my son for the next two or three years before he goes off to college,’” he says.

Former Kings teammates Rob Blake and Glen Murray just sent their sons, Tyson and Parker, to play for Jamie. Grayson Arnott, nephew of Stanley Cup winner Jason Arnott, also joined the team. “Jamie has demonstrated a high level of development skills among youth hockey players,” shares Rob. “His knowledge and commitment of the game has helped shape many young players.” Rob’s hometown is just down the road, so you can be sure there will be many Blakes cheering in the stands.

In addition to owning the team, Jamie is also the president and head coach. “I miss the drive of trying to be the best, but coaching has been unique in trying to find answers to questions you don’t know the answers to. Your mind is open again,” he says. “You just need to set aside your ego and be a student of the game to find a way to help a player get better.”