LIGHTNING
WARRIORS
HOCKEY
President
Rob Friedman
Has served as a legal officer (JAG) in the Air Force for close to 10 years. Currently an active drilling reservist, serving as Deputy Staff Judge Advocate for a global airlift unit in the Midwest, holding the rank of Major. In civilian capacity serves as Corporate Counsel for a regional public utility company. Has many years of experience on non-profit boards both in the military and in faith communities. Rob is greatly inspired by the public service commitment the Warriors make to our surrounding community by our volunteer efforts throughout the year.
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Warrior Member
Dave Frank
Retired as a Master Sergeant after 24 years of Air Force service in Aircraft Maintenance. Dave is one of the founding members of the Tampa, now Lightning Warriors. He has been playing hockey for over 9 years.
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Raymond James
Tyler Platanella
Grew up in Mays Landing, NJ and at 17 enlisted into the United States Army as a Forward Observer. Tyler served for 4 years in the 10th Mountain Division including a combat deployment to Afghanistan in 2016 achieving the rank of Sergeant. He was Honorably Discharged in 2018 so that he could pursue a college degree. He graduated from the University of Tampa in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. After graduation, Tyler was hired by Raymond James as a Marketing Coordinator and then eventually moved into an Account Manager role on the transitions team. In his spare time Tyler enjoys golfing, working out, sports and spending time with his family.
Warrior Member
George McDonald
George is a retired U.S. Army Special Forces Colonel and has served in a variety of command, staff and leadership positions throughout his career. He is currently Deputy Sheriff at the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. George entered military service in 1986, joining the Vermont National Guard and was commissioned in 1988 after graduating from Norwich University. George entered Special Forces in 1993 and served in the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne). He retired from active duty in 2017 while assigned to the United States Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base. George has enjoyed playing hockey his entire life, especially with the Warriors.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Aaron Humphrey
A Florida native, Aaron has been involved in hockey in the Tampa Community for 14 years. Having attended the University of South Florida and played on the Club Hockey Team for 5 years, he then went on to coach USF for 6 years. Since graduating from USF, Aaron has been helping grow the game of hockey in Tampa Bay as the Community & Hockey Development Manager for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Board Of Directors
The Lightning Warriors Board is made up of senior veteran leaders as well as civilian advisors.