Staff

Alex Kim brings to Optimum Hockey Academy a rare combination of perspectives — a former professional player who has competed across four continents, a scout’s eye for what separates the players who advance from the ones who don’t, and a coach’s commitment to building both into every athlete in the program. Over a 12-year professional playing career, Alex skated in the ECHL and AHL before continuing his career overseas in Asia, U.K., Germany and Austria. The opportunity to travel the world while playing hockey — to live and experience new cultures, and to learn from the people he met along the way — gave him a perspective on the game that few coaches share, and one that informs everything he teaches today. Alex returned home to Southern California to take on one of the most demanding evaluation roles in U.S. youth hockey: Director of Player Personnel for the Jr. Ducks, the AAA program affiliated with the Anaheim Ducks. In that role he watches hundreds of players a year, and he knows — before most parents do — what the next level is actually looking for. He simultaneously serves as Head Coach of the Jr. Ducks 15AAA and 16AAA teams, where his rosters have consistently produced players who advance to the USHL, NCAA, and top junior leagues. Alex co-founded Optimum with Craig Johnson in 2019 because they shared the same conviction: that the West Coast had the talent and the families, but not the daily environment serious players needed. What stands out across all his years in the game, Alex will tell you, isn’t the trophies or the travel — it’s the teams and the players he has had the opportunity to work with, and watching them succeed and grow as people. That belief is the foundation of how he coaches. Coaching philosophy Alex’s approach is built around four principles: purposeful development, accountability, continued growth, and long-term advancement. He believes that habits drive identity, identity determines the process, and the process is what produces the outcome. At Optimum, that philosophy translates into honest evaluation, plans built around the player each athlete actually is, and a coaching standard that asks every student to take ownership of who they are becoming — on the ice and off it.

Craig Johnson brings a lifetime of elite hockey experience to Optimum Hockey Academy — as a player, an Olympian, an NHL coach, and most personally, as a hockey dad. Over a 14- year professional career, Craig skated for five NHL franchises — the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Washington Capitals — before representing his country as a member of the 1994 U.S. Olympic Team. Some of the most formative experiences of Craig’s career came at the end of his playing days, when he signed in Salzburg, Austria — already knowing his next chapter would be coaching. He used that time to learn directly from some of the brightest minds in the European game — coaches from Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, and Russia — an immersion in the world’s deepest hockey development cultures that continues to shape the coach he is today. His transition into coaching has been nothing short of extraordinary: Craig won three USA Hockey National Championships as a coach, served in Player Development with the LA Kings organization, coached the Ontario Reign in the AHL, co-coached the Jr. Ducks AAA program alongside Alex Kim to a third-place national finish, and most recently served as an Assistant Coach with the Anaheim Ducks during the 2023– 2024 season, where he coached and helped develop young NHL stars including Leo Carlsson (2nd overall, 2023) and Mason McTavish (3rd overall, 2021) — giving him a rare and complete view of the professional game at every level. But the story behind Optimum is just as much personal as it is professional. Craig cofounded the Academy alongside Alex Kim because they both saw firsthand how difficult it was for serious young players to access the level of development, coaching, and competitive opportunity they deserved. That vision hit close to home. While coaching the Jr. Ducks AAA program, Craig had two players selected in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft — his son Ryan Johnson (Buffalo Sabres, 31st overall) and Ryan’s teammate Cam York (Philadelphia Flyers, 14th overall). Two first-round picks from the same coaching room in a single year — proof that the right coaching, the right competition, and the right commitment can take a player all the way to the top. At Optimum, Craig’s role isn’t just to share what he knows — it’s to give every student-athlete the pathway his own son and Cam York had.

Noah Clarke brings to Optimum Hockey Academy something rare among development coaches: he has personally walked the exact path most Optimum families are chasing — from NCAA Division 1 standout to the National Hockey League. Noah played four years of Division 1 hockey at Colorado College, earning First Team AllAmerican honors in his senior season. Drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 1999, he went on to make history as the first California-born player to score a goal for the franchise — a fitting milestone for a player who proved that elite talent can come out of Southern California. Over a 10-year professional career, Noah competed across North America and Europe, playing within the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils organizations and in multiple European leagues, and represented Team USA twice in international competition at the Deutschland Cup. Currently, Noah serves as Head Coach of the 12U AA and assistant coach for the 16U AAA Jr. Ducks, where he develops young players with the same habits and standards that carried him from college hockey to the pros. His coaching philosophy is built on consistency, accountability, and learning to compete confidently under pressure. “Talent alone is never enough at the highest levels,” Noah says. “Long-term success comes from daily habits, discipline, resilience, and the ability to perform in difficult situations.” He believes development goes well beyond skills — teaching players to think the game, handle adversity, become great teammates, and carry themselves with professionalism both on and off the ice. What drives Noah most is helping young athletes reach levels they once thought were unattainable. “Watching players gain confidence, overcome challenges, and grow into leaders both on and off the ice,” he says, “is one of the most rewarding parts of coaching.”

Itan Chavira brings to Optimum Hockey Academy a rare two-sport pedigree and one of the most creative skill sets on staff — a forward who competed professionally on both ice and inline, and who now specializes in developing skill, creativity, and confidence in younger players. A Southern California native, Itan built a standout junior career on the ice. After a season in the USHL with the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets, he moved to the Maritime Junior A Hockey League, where he posted a career-high 85 points (41 goals, 44 assists) and helped the Yarmouth Mariners capture the MJAHL Championship and reach the Fred Page Cup. He then turned professional with the Ontario Reign of the ECHL. Itan is also one of the most accomplished inline hockey players the country has produced. A member of the USA National Inline Team, he represented the United States at the IIHF InLine Hockey World Championships — finishing among the tournament’s top scorers in 2008 — and played professional inline hockey across the United States and Europe, including stops in France and Spain. Today, Itan serves as Head Coach of the Jr. Ducks 12U and 14U teams, where his focus on puck skill, creativity, and compete level helps young players build the habits and confidence that carry them forward.  At Optimum, Itan’s value is his ability to develop high-end skill and to connect with younger players at the stage when confidence and a love for the game matter most.