Buccaneers promote Jake Searles to director of scouting

Des Moines promoted Jake Searles to director of scouting, putting a six-year Buccaneers insider in charge of the kind of decisions that shape protected lists, draft board and future roster construction. The move keeps the job inside an organization that has built its identity on continuity, from its 1980 founding to four Clark Cups, four Anderson Cups and 54 NHL draft picks.

The promotion also gave Addison DeBoer another familiar voice in hockey operations. DeBoer said Searles had been "instrumental to me in my role as GM this past season," a reflection of the scout's five years in the job before taking on the top scouting title. DeBoer himself moved into his larger role on July 17, 2025, after scouting for Des Moines since 2018, and Searles' rise continues that pattern of elevating people already steeped in the Bucs' system.

Searles' ties to Des Moines run back to his playing days. He skated for the Buccaneers from 1996-97 through 1997-98, won an Anderson Cup and helped push the club to the Clark Cup Finals in 1998 before moving on to Bemidji State and the University of St. Thomas. He now works as vice president of business developments at Sunrise Banks and lives in Blaine, Minnesota, with his wife, Jennifer, and their two sons. One of those sons, Harper Searles, played two seasons for the Buccaneers and is headed to Air Force Academy for his NCAA career.

The timing matters for a USHL team trying to protect its pipeline. League draft rules require clubs to submit an Initial Protected List, make 15 Phase I selections and then keep drafting in Phase II until the 50-man list is full, while all teams must turn in their 30-man protected list and affiliate list by July 10. That makes the scouting director one of the most important voices in the room before camps, roster cuts and trade decisions begin.

For Des Moines, the hire also carries a historical echo. The franchise's 1998-99 team set the USHL single-season wins record with 48 victories in 56 games, and the league still awards the Anderson Cup to the regular-season champion. Searles now moves from helping evaluate the next wave of players to helping decide which ones fit a club that has spent decades turning scouting into results.