Mark Burgin’s first full season as general manager of the Delta Ice Hawks has started with the kind of pace that keeps a phone buzzing — and occasionally puts the 57-year-old executive back in skates with his players.
Burgin, hired by the Delta, British Columbia Junior A club on April 2, has not limited his evaluation work to the press box. He has joined players on the ice early in the season, using those sessions to get a closer look at their stride, movement and development.
“I’ll be jumping on the ice throughout the season,” Burgin said. “You can see how guys are skating and moving in a way you just don’t get from the stands. I told the group from the start that they would have a different experience with me than they may be used to.”
The Ice Hawks have answered with a strong opening run. Delta sits atop the 22-team British Columbia Hockey Conference with 23 points and leads the Mainland Division at 11-4-1.
A front-office role built from the grassroots
Burgin arrived in Delta with a deep coaching, mentorship and player-development background. The South Surrey, British Columbia resident previously served as a coach and board member with the Semiahmoo Ravens Minor Hockey Association, which works in White Rock and South Surrey. He also held a board position with BC Hockey, the governing body for amateur hockey in British Columbia and Yukon.
Over years in the grassroots game, Burgin has coached and guided players who later reached major junior, NCAA programs and the NHL.
Among the players he has mentored is Cayden Lindstrom, the Michigan State forward selected fourth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2024 NHL Draft. Burgin and his family took Lindstrom in when he was 15 and in town to try out for Team BC without a place to stay. Lindstrom, now a 20-year-old Columbus prospect, has continued to stay with the Burgins during offseasons.
Burgin is one of the relatively few Black general managers in amateur or professional hockey. He points to San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier as proof that the game’s leadership ranks can change.
Grier played 1,060 NHL games across 14 seasons with four teams from 1996 through 2011. He later worked as an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils from 2018 to 2020 and as a hockey operations adviser with the New York Rangers in 2021-22 before San Jose named him the NHL’s first Black general manager on July 5, 2022.
“Seeing Mike Grier in that chair gives me hope that the game is moving forward,” Burgin said. “The chance to make decisions and build a talented roster matters. Representation carries real power.”
For Burgin, getting on the ice is part of that visibility.
“Young athletes need to see somebody like me involved at every level,” he said. “That means the office, the ice, player development — all of it.”
Building a wider bench
In 2022, Burgin founded the Diversity Athletics Society, a nonprofit created to help young people remain in hockey and other sports when cost becomes a barrier, while also promoting a more inclusive environment.
The organization’s mentorship group includes retired NHL forward Anthony Stewart, Los Angeles Kings pro scout and growth-and-inclusion specialist Blake Bolden, and Todd McMillon, a former defensive back for the Chicago Bears and Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Burgin was also on an all-Black coaching staff that worked with 35 young players at the Vancouver Canucks’ first Black Excellence Skate in February 2025.
His message to players comes from his own path. Burgin was born in London, England, and became attached to hockey after his family moved to Winnipeg. The game also brought racial challenges, experiences he now discusses with young players and their families.
“My diverse background is the biggest thing I can bring,” Burgin said. “It has not always worked in my favor. I have been called names, but if I had allowed that to stop me, I would not be here today. I tell parents that I can help their boys become resilient and develop a thick skin.”
After the horn
The move into a general manager’s chair has been both rewarding and demanding for Burgin. The work, he has learned quickly, does not stop when practice ends or the final horn sounds.
“I was laughing the other day because my phone keeps ringing, often from numbers I don’t even recognize,” he said.
Burgin hopes this season with the Ice Hawks becomes another step toward a professional opportunity. His long-term target is clear: a role with enough influence to shape both the hockey operation and the people within it.
“Would I want to manage a pro team? Absolutely,” Burgin said. “I want to go as far as I can to influence the game — its human side and its performance side. That is what it is all about.”
