Roadrunners Name James Mackey New Play-By-Play Announcer, David Mooradian Joins as Analyst

TUCSON— The Tucson Roadrunners, proud American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Utah Mammoth, today announced that James Mackey has been named the team’s new play-by-play announcer and will also serve as a content contributor. Mackey will be joined in the broadcast booth this season by new analyst David Mooradian.

“The AHL is all about opportunity and development – not only for players and coaches, but for broadcasters as well,” said Roadrunners Team President Bob Hoffman. “We’re thrilled to welcome James and David into the Roadrunners booth, and we know they’ll grow into great voices for our team and community.”

Mackey served as the play-by-play commentator for the Tucson Saguaros baseball team of the Pecos League this past summer and previously held broadcast roles covering NCAA hockey and the Arizona High School Hockey Association (ASHA) State Championships.

A Chicago native, Mackey grew up a Blackhawks fan in a hockey-centered family – his mom spent her youth as a “rink rat” while her father coached, his brother played, and his dad coached as well. Mackey fondly recalls attending Rockford IceHogs games with his mom and brother.

“I’m super excited to join the Roadrunners team,” Mackey said. “Bob (Hoffman) has been super helpful in getting me acclimated, and I couldn’t be more excited to mingle with the fans, settle in and get the season rolling!”

After relocating to Arizona in 2015, he covered the Arizona Coyotes from 2020 through 2024 before taking a year to focus on his studies. Mackey now joins the Roadrunners broadcast team from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Mooradian enters his first season as a Roadrunners broadcaster and his third season overall in sports media. He has served as the lead announcer for Kamp Student Radio at the University of Arizona the past two years, where he was also the station’s director of sports. In addition, he has completed internships with NBC and ESPN radio in his hometown of Troy, New York. Mooradian is set to graduate this spring from the University of Arizona.

“I’ve been anticipating the start of the season for weeks,” Mooradian said, “and the first time I hear skates grind or sticks slam the ice it will be very satisfying.”

Together, Mackey and Mooradian will also co-host the Roadrunners Weekly Podcast and Happy Hour Show, which airs every Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. on FOX Sports 1450 AM.

The Roadrunners open preseason play Saturday, October 4 at 6:00 p.m. AZT and Sunday, October 5 at 2:00 p.m. AZT against the Henderson Silver Knights at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada. 

Both games will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1450 AM, the iHeartRadio app and streamed on AHLTV on FloHockey.