Jake Francis named Clarky Award finalist for Sales Rookie of the Year

Jake Francis added another front-office honor for the Des Moines Buccaneers when the USHL named him a Clarky Award finalist for Sales Rookie of the Year on June 9. He was one of four finalists in the league's inaugural awards program for the 2025-26 season, which recognizes club achievements, creativity and work.

Each team could submit one nomination per category. League office staff voted to determine the finalists, and team owners ranked those finalists to choose the winners. Sales Rookie of the Year is reserved for a first-season sales representative who makes an immediate and meaningful impact through performance, dedication and enthusiasm for the game.

Francis joined the club partway through the 2023-24 season as a part-time staff member working in sponsorship activation, building operations and ice management. By the summer of 2025, he had moved into a full-time role as Sales and Operations Manager, where he handled sponsorships, ticketing and game-night responsibilities. He was later promoted to Sr. Director of Sales and oversaw all ticket sales and partnership agreements.

Eric Grundfast was named the Buccaneers’ president of business operations and alternate director on Nov. 5, 2024, and his responsibilities include ticket sales, corporate partnerships, marketing, communications and fan relations. Francis worked with schools in the Des Moines metro, built partnerships across Central Iowa and helped grow the Bucs’ season-ticket base over the past year.

The other Sales Rookie of the Year finalists were Susan Pellegrino of the Dubuque Fighting Saints, Jacob Thrush of the Madison Capitols and Alec McDonald of the Muskegon Lumberjacks. The inaugural Clarky Awards winners were announced on June 18.

The Buccaneers were founded in 1980 and have four Clark Cup championships, four Anderson Cup championships and 54 alumni drafted to the NHL. The club is now based at the MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex in West Des Moines.