Lyrrad “Rod” Braceful is in his second first season as an Amateur Scout with the Chicago Blackhawks. Rod will cover the United States, as his primary focus will be identifying players for the upcoming NHL Draft.
He most recently worked three seasons as the assistant director of player personnel for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. Braceful was responsible for evaluating, recruiting, and selecting players for the NTDP teams. Braceful was featured in back-to-back years of The Athletic “Hockey’s Top 40 under 40: The coaches, executives, scouts, and negotiators shaping the NHL’s future.
Prior to working for the NTDP, Braceful served as the director of scouting for the USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks during the 2017-18 season. He also served as the head and regional scout for the USHL Sioux Falls Stampede from 2014-2017.
The Detroit native is on the board of the NextGen AAA Foundation, which mission is to provide mentoring, education, and hockey programs to diverse, low-income, and at-risk youth throughout North America. Additionally, Braceful has served as a youth hockey coach in the metro-Detroit area for six years with the Little Caesars and Compuware Youth Hockey programs.
Braceful graduated from New England College in 2012 with a dual degree in sports and recreation management and business administration. He also served as an assistant coach at NEC while enrolled.
