The Tewaaraton Lacrosse League (TLL) announced that Styres joined as a member of the Leadership Circle of Excellence.
The Leadership Circle of Excellence is set to bring together a high-calibre group of individuals who each bring their own unique talents, special skills, experiences, and expertise that, when combined, offer unparalleled insights to help support the ultimate success of the league. The mandate of the Leadership Circle is to provide advice, insight, and ambassadorship.
“On behalf of the TLL it is a pleasure to welcome Curt to our Leadership Circle of Excellence” said founding member Lewis Staats. “He has a passion for lacrosse that is steeped in the traditions of the game which I believe has helped him achieve ultimate success as an owner and GM of teams that have won both the NLL and MLL championships under his stewardship. We look forward to Curt providing his insights and ideas to our ownership groups as well as providing leadership advice on the continued success of the league.”
Styres joins Garrett Ball, Claudia Jimerson, Ted Nolan, and Rob Francis as part of this crucial component to the TLL.
“Styres brings a number of things to the TLL table, whether it be his wisdom, vision, ownership experience, or business savvy. He is currently the owner and general manager of the National Lacrosse League’s Halifax Thunderbirds, as well as co-owner of Gait Lacrosse alongside his business partner Paul Gait,” reads the TLL website.
Before landing and building a lacrosse base in Halifax thanks to a deal that moved his franchise to the east coast of Canada, Styres was the vision and leader behind the Rochester Knighthawks successes from 2008 to 2018. In 2008, Styres took over ownership of the Knighthawks and American Hockey League’s Rochester Americans, where he overhauled both franchises to success. The Knighthawks became the cream of the NLL crop, winning three-straight Champions Cup titles in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Before the magical run, Styres was already turning heads, earning league-wide accolades. In 2011 he earned the NLL General Manager of the Year & Executive of the Year and was once again named General Manager of the Year in 2018.
In 2009, he added Major League Lacrosse’s Toronto Nationals to his ever-growing portfolio. That investment paid off instantly, as the Nationals won the MLL championship in its first year of existence. Styres took sole ownership of the team in 2010, moved the team to Hamilton, and had them back in the MLL championship game again in 2011.
In 2004, Styres built the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA), a 3,000-seat arena on Six Nations, to give local kids a place to improve their skills. Having the ability to play lacrosse year-round has led to Six Nations having one of the strongest youth lacrosse programs across Canada. He also renovated a portion of the space in the arena to accommodate the Mohawk immersion school at Six Nations when their former school building was condemned. The school provides classrooms for kindergarten through Grade 12, in an effort to preserve the culture and language at Six Nations.
Just as the ILA was completing its construction, he partnered with the Six Nations Arrows Lacrosse Association, who operate the Six Nations Arrows. With Styres’ assistance, the Arrows Express became four-time Ontario champions and won the Minto Cup, the Canadian National junior A lacrosse title, in 2007.
Styres and his brother Glenn built Ohsweken Speedway, a 3/8-mile dirt track that they turned into the fastest growing speedway in Canada. Since then, Ohsweken Speedway has hosted a World of Outlaws racing event. The event began in 2007, and represented the first time the World of Outlaws had brought their show to Canada in over 25 years, attracting some of the biggest names in auto racing to Ohsweken Speedway, including NASCAR superstar Tony Stewart.
The TLL is a major junior lacrosse league set to debut in 2021.
