Northern Born to Vegas Born: The Building of a Stanley Cup Champion
Vaughn Karpan
Assistant General Manager, Player Personnel
Vegas Golden Knights
Born in Flin Flon, Vaughn moved to The Pas in 1964 and grew up there before leaving in 1978 to pursue hockey with the Brandon Wheat Kings organization.
Over the next several years, hockey took him to Brandon University, the BC Junior Hockey League and, ultimately, the University of Manitoba. Vaughn graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. During his time with the Bisons, he was a three-time team MVP and served as captain for his final two seasons.
Vaughn played for Canada’s Men’s National Team in 1983–84 and again from 1985–88, appearing in 224 games for Canada and representing the country at two Winter Olympic Games: Sarajevo in 1984 and Calgary in 1988.
After five years in private industry, he began his professional hockey scouting career with the Winnipeg Jets in 1992–93. He remained with the franchise following its move to Phoenix and spent 13 years with the organization, progressing from Amateur Scout to Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting and ultimately Director of Amateur Scouting.
In 2005–06, Vaughn joined the Montreal Canadiens, where he spent 11 seasons in a variety of roles. He began in amateur scouting, later moved into professional scouting and was eventually appointed Director of Professional Scouting.
In 2016–17, Vaughn joined the expansion Vegas Golden Knights as Director of Player Personnel. In the fall of 2022, he was appointed Assistant General Manager, Player Personnel, and in 2023 had the privilege of being part of the organization’s first Stanley Cup championship.
Vaughn was inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 2013.