HAMDEN, Conn. -- The Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame recently announced that Quinnipiac University Vice President for Athletic Marketing and External Relations Val Belmonte (Middletown, Conn.)  will be inducted as a member of the Class of 2007. Belmonte will join such hockey luminaries as 25-year NHL veteran Chris Chelios, the late Chicago Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz, and U.S. Olympic gold medalist Cammi Granato. 

Hockey Hall of Famer and former NHL star Stan Mikita also will be inducted alongside Belmonte as part of this year's class of 12, just the third-ever group. The IHHF Induction Dinner will be held on Sunday, Feb. 10 at the Belvedere Banquet Hall located at 1170 West Devon Avenue in Elk Grove Village, Ill., beginning at 5 p.m.

"I am truly honored and humbled to be elected to the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame along with the members of this year's extraordinary class," said Belmonte. "I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be involved in Illinois amateur hockey as a player, coach, volunteer and administrator. More importantly, it has been a privilege to be associated with so many outstanding individuals who have had a profound impact on my career."

"We're extremely proud to welcome Val into the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame as a member of our third induction class," said USA Hockey Treasurer and IHHF Board of Directors Member Jim Smith. "His roots are here, beginning with his playing days and extending through his contributions to coaching education in the 1980's and ‘90s. He was also highly instrumental in bringing Division I college hockey to the state."

The complete list of 2007 inductees includes: Val Belmonte, Sara Bolin, Chadd Cassel, Jay Cohen, Bill Crowley, Hank Curcio, Frank DeChristina, Randy Jacobs, Stan Mikita, Mark Olson, Scott Palach, Doug Schmalz and Holly Spiegel.

The mission statement of the Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame is: "To honor the excellence of those individuals who, through their exceptional endeavors both on and off the ice, have contributed in an extraordinary way to enhance the sport and image of hockey in Illinois."

Belmonte was appointed Vice President for Athletic Marketing and External Relations in July 2006 after serving as Associate Vice President for Athletic Marketing and Development. In his role, he oversees Quinnipiac University's 21-sport NCAA Division I Athletics Department and all of its business-related initiatives. Prior to joining Quinnipiac Belmonte worked in the Olympic movement as Executive Director of U.S. Figure Skating in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The Illinois native also served as the Director of Athletics at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., from 2000-04 and as Director of Coaching at USA Hockey, Inc. in Colorado Springs from 1991-2000. He later served on the USA Hockey Executive Committee as Secretary and as a member of the Board of Directors.

His collegiate coaching career extended from 1975 to 1990 with the University of North Dakota, Harvard University and the University of Illinois-Chicago. In 1982 he returned for his second stint at Illinois-Chicago, where he led the Flames to six Central Collegiate Hockey Association playoff appearances as the head coach and was named CCHA Coach of the Year in 1986-87. Belmonte holds a bachelor's degree from Illinois-Chicago and a master's degree in education from North Dakota.