Tom Lynn Biography
Tom Lynn is a principal of Veritas Hockey, an agency providing representation to current and prospective professional hockey players worldwide. Tom Lynn's experience in participating in the selection and development of NHL prospects, managing a development team, and negotiating hundreds of professional contracts is unparalleled among player representatives. He has assisted many players in the college recruitment process, from drawing interest to weighing scholarship opportunities, and been an integral part of the development process for amateur players, both on and off the ice. He has a vast network of relationships from his diverse experience in hockey, including high school and junior coaches, skating and skill instructors, college coaches, professional coaches, medical specialists in hockey-specific fields, and even team owners and league executives.
Mr. Lynn has worked in professional hockey in a variety of roles for over 17 years. Tom Lynn joined the Minnesota Wild as Director of Hockey Administration and Legal Affairs in March of 2000, and held the position until being promoted to Assistant General Manager in September of 2002. With the Wild, his responsibilities included the analysis, drafting and negotiation of player contracts, acting as the team's liaison with the National Hockey League (NHL), and serving as General Manager of the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Lynn also oversaw the day-to-day work of the hockey operations department, including player development, running the pro scouting staff, recruitment of amateur free agents from junior and the NCAA, and the Wild’s player development program. Lynn also served as Acting General Manager of the Wild from April to June of 2009. In addition, he has served as an adjunct professor of law at the St. Thomas University Law School in Saint Paul, Minnesota, teaching the Law of Professional Sports.
Under Lynn's guidance, the Houston Aeros qualified for the AHL playoffs in seven of their eight seasons and owned a record of 311-246-85 (.551) during that span including a 51-46 record in playoff contests, reaching the Western Conference Finals three times in eight seasons and claiming the 2003 Calder Cup Championship. He also served on the Board of Governors of the American Hockey League, including chairing the Labor Committee, and participated in league-level analysis of the game regarding player safety, rules changes, and equipment issues.
Prior to joining the Wild, Lynn, 44, worked as an attorney in New York for six years at the law firms of Proskauer Rose LLP and Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts. During that time, he had extensive interaction with the business of sport and the NHL, practicing management-side sports law, representing both leagues and teams in labor, litigation, and collective bargaining issues.
A native of Syracuse, New York, Lynn played hockey for Yale University from 1986-89 before transferring to LeMoyne College, where he graduated cum laude with a degree in Philosophy in 1991. He went on to receive his law degree from Cornell Law School in 1995. He and his wife, Leslie, have six children, Joe, Sarah, John, Mary Grace, Casey, and Annie. Five of them play hockey so far.