Schall's primary responsibilities will include aiding Pittsburgh's hockey operations department with player contract negotiations, managing the salary cap, as well as assisting with other hockey-related duties. He will report to Hextall.
"Having spent over 25 years in professional sports, Alec brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with contract negotiations," said Hextall. "His unique perspective and background make him an exciting addition to our hockey operations staff."
Schall has spent the previous nine years as director of athlete representation at LEGACY Global Sports, a full-service sports marketing firm for amateur and professional athletes. His primary duties included scouting and recruiting clients and serving as a liaison with professional teams and the media.
Prior to joining LEGACY Global Sports, Schall founded R4PA in 2001, which was an independent agency specializing in the comprehensive representation of professional hockey players. R4PA was acquired by LEGACY Global Sports in 2012.
He was an NHLPA registered agent, and some of the notable players Schall has represented include James van Riemsdyk, Alec Martinez, Connor Clifton, Joel Farabee and Luke Glendening. In total, he has negotiated over $200 million in contracts for various clients.
Schall got his start in professional sports with Advantage International, a sports marketing and representation firm now called Octagon, as their manager of the hockey division - a position he held from 1994 to 1998. While at Advantage International, he helped create their hockey division through the acquisition of an independent agency, and also negotiated contracts with professional sports teams, recruited new clients, identified marketing opportunities, and managed professional hockey and football clients.
He received his BA in sociology from Trinity College in 1990, and then got his MBA in Marketing and Business Economics at Columbia Business School in 1993.