Cedar Rapids RoughRiders name Alex Laven equipment manager
Cedar Rapids added a new piece to its hockey operations staff by naming Alex Laven the RoughRiders’ equipment manager, a move that may not change a lineup card but will touch nearly every part of the daily routine at the rink. As the club prepares for the 2026-27 USHL season, the hire gives head coach and general manager Mark Carlson another experienced hand in the details that keep players ready, practices efficient and travel organized.
Laven came to Cedar Rapids after two seasons as equipment manager for the NAHL’s Aberdeen Wings. Before that, he held the same role at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, giving him a background that spans both junior hockey and the college game. The RoughRiders also pointed to his work at the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament in both 2025 and 2026, experience that exposed him to the showcase environment where players are judged on every shift, every drill and every detail in their preparation.
That experience matters in a league built on development and precision. In junior hockey, the equipment manager is responsible for more than skates and sticks. The job sits at the center of daily team operations, from gear management to logistics, and the person in it helps make sure players are ready for practice, games and the long stretches of a 62-game regular season. When the equipment room runs cleanly, players spend less time waiting and more time working, and that efficiency can show up in recovery, preparation and professionalism.
Carlson welcomed Laven and his fiancée, Sara, to Ridertown in the team’s announcement, underscoring that the hire was about more than filling a vacancy. For a USHL club trying to line up every off-ice function before players report, adding someone with Aberdeen experience, a college hockey background and recent work in a top prospects setting strengthens the infrastructure behind the roster. The RoughRiders did not add a scorer or a defenseman with this move, but they did add a staff member whose impact will be felt every day the team is on the ice.