Rick Olczyk was named the Oilers’ Director of Hockey Administration and Legal Affairs on June 22, 2007. In his position, Olczyk will work closely with both Kevin Lowe and Kevin Prendergast on various hockey operations duties, including player contracts, negotiations and NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement issues.

Olczyk, the 37-year-old younger brother of former NHL forward Ed Olczyk, joins the Oilers from the private sector, where he ran his own legal consulting firm in Chicago, Illinois for the past six seasons.

Born and raised in Chicago, Olczyk played four seasons of NCAA Division I hockey at Brown University between 1988-89 and 1991-92 and served as the Bears’ captain during his senior season. He was named to the Academic All-Ivy Team in 1991-92. Olczyk was also the captain of the United States Under-17 National Team that won the silver medal at the 1986 World Cup in Chicago.

A 1996 graduate of Cornell Law School, Olczyk was admitted to the Arizona Bar in 1996 and worked two years with a law firm in Phoenix. He also spent two seasons with the NHLPA before opening his own legal consulting firm in Chicago.