Trevor Yates: From Hockey Excellence to a Rising Career in Global Finance

A powerful journey from Cornell ice hockey and professional competition to investment analysis, commodities, and emerging markets

Blog Mark 4 weeks ago

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Trevor Yates is a Canadian investment professional and former professional ice hockey player whose career reflects an unusual combination of athletic discipline, academic achievement, and financial expertise. Born in Germany and raised in the Montreal area, he developed a strong connection with hockey at an early age before building a successful collegiate career at Cornell University.

After graduating from Cornell with a degree in Applied Economics and Management and a concentration in finance, Yates continued his hockey career professionally in the American Hockey League and ECHL. His playing career eventually led him toward a different competitive environment: financial markets. He later joined Mirae Asset Global Investments and, in 2023, became part of Global X, where his work has focused on emerging markets, materials, commodities, and investment research.

Table of Contents

Quick Bio

Category	Details
Full Name	Trevor Scott Yates
Date of Birth	March 6, 1995
Birthplace	Germany
Hometown	Beaconsfield, Quebec, Canada
Nationality	Canadian
Profession	Investment Professional, Former Ice Hockey Player
Education	Cornell University
Degree	Applied Economics and Management
Concentration	Finance
Hockey Position	Forward / Center
Shooting Hand	Left
Height	6 feet 2 inches
Former College Team	Cornell Big Red
Professional Teams	Grand Rapids Griffins, Toledo Walleye, Wheeling Nailers, Reading Royals
Current Professional Field	Investment Management
Employer	Global X
Known For	Cornell hockey career, professional hockey, investment research

Early Life and Family Background

Trevor Yates was born in Germany while his family was connected to professional hockey. Although his birthplace was in Germany, he was raised around Montreal, Quebec, and later identified Beaconsfield as his hometown. His early environment played an important role in developing his interest in hockey and shaping his competitive mindset.

His father, Ross Yates, was an important influence in his development. Ross had experience as a professional hockey player and coach, including time associated with the NHL’s Hartford Whalers. Trevor has spoken publicly about watching hockey with his father and learning from the qualities his father valued in players. He also has a sister and a brother.

Early Hockey Development

Yates developed through competitive hockey in Quebec before attending Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. His time at Deerfield demonstrated his potential as a young forward, as he recorded 104 points over three seasons.

One of the memorable moments of his youth career came with the Neponset Valley River Rats. The team won a Tier I Under-18 AAA national championship, and Yates scored the overtime goal that secured the title. That experience became an early example of his ability to perform under pressure.

Education at Cornell University

Yates continued his academic and athletic development at Cornell University, where he played four seasons for the Cornell men’s ice hockey program from 2014 through 2018. His university years were important because he was developing simultaneously as a student and as a high-level hockey player.

He studied Applied Economics and Management with a concentration in finance. His academic record earned him recognition through ECAC Hockey’s All-Academic Team, while his later professional profile identifies him as an All-American Scholar in 2018. His education also provided a foundation for the financial career he would pursue after hockey.

Cornell Hockey Career

During his four seasons at Cornell, Yates appeared in 120 games and produced 32 goals and 33 assists for 65 points. He developed into a dependable two-way forward and became an important center during his final seasons.

His senior campaign in 2017–18 was particularly productive. He recorded 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points while finishing the season with a plus-17 rating. He also served as an alternate captain, demonstrating the leadership responsibilities he had earned within the team.

Professional Hockey Career

Yates began his professional hockey career shortly after finishing his Cornell career. In March 2018, the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League signed him to a contract for the 2018–19 season.

He made his professional debut with the Griffins near the end of the 2017–18 campaign and registered his first professional point with an assist. His professional career subsequently included opportunities in both the AHL and ECHL.

Grand Rapids Griffins and Toledo Walleye

During the 2018–19 season, Yates moved between the Grand Rapids Griffins and their ECHL affiliate, the Toledo Walleye. The experience gave him exposure to professional hockey and required him to adapt quickly to the demands of a different level of competition.

He later continued his ECHL career with the Toledo Walleye. Although his professional hockey career was relatively short, the experience gave him valuable lessons in discipline, preparation, teamwork, and performance under pressure.

Wheeling Nailers and Reading Royals

In February 2019, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins acquired Yates from Grand Rapids and assigned him to the Wheeling Nailers. With Wheeling, he produced six goals and nine assists for 15 points in 15 ECHL games.

For the 2019–20 season, he joined the Reading Royals. He appeared in 29 games and recorded seven goals and eight assists for 15 points. His professional playing career ultimately transitioned away from hockey as he moved toward investment management.

Career Timeline

2014 — Cornell University

He began his Cornell hockey career while studying Applied Economics and Management with a finance concentration.

2016–2017 — Rising Cornell Role

He recorded 22 points during the 2016–17 season and became an increasingly important contributor for the Big Red.

2017–2018 — Cornell Leadership

He produced 26 points during his senior season, served as an alternate captain, and helped Cornell win the ECAC Hockey regular-season championship.

2018 — Professional Debut

He signed with the Grand Rapids Griffins and made his professional hockey debut in the AHL.

2018–2019 — ECHL Experience

He played for the Toledo Walleye and later the Wheeling Nailers, gaining further professional experience.

2019–2020 — Reading Royals

He continued his ECHL career with the Reading Royals, recording 15 points in 29 games.

Around 2021–2023 — Finance

After hockey, he worked at Mirae Asset Global Investments, where he spent approximately two years on an emerging-markets team.

2023 — Global X

He joined Global X as an Investment Analyst on its Emerging Markets team.

2026 — Commodity Strategy

He became one of the portfolio managers associated with the Global X Commodity Strategy ETF, while continuing his investment research responsibilities.

Transition From Hockey to Finance

The transition from professional hockey to investment management represents one of the most interesting aspects of Trevor Yates’s career. Hockey requires preparation, rapid decision-making, teamwork, resilience, and the ability to respond to changing circumstances. Many of those qualities can also be valuable in financial markets.

His Cornell education gave him an academic foundation in economics and finance, while his professional hockey experience provided practical lessons in discipline and performance. After leaving competitive hockey, he redirected those skills toward financial analysis and emerging-market investing.

Career at Global X

Yates joined Global X in 2023 as an Investment Analyst on the Emerging Markets team. His work has focused particularly on the materials sector, an area closely connected to global economic growth, industrial demand, commodities, and emerging markets.

His responsibilities have expanded beyond traditional investment analysis. Global X has published his research and market commentary covering commodities, emerging markets, and materials. His career therefore combines academic finance training with practical investment research.

Commodity Strategy ETF

In 2026, Yates became one of the portfolio managers associated with the Global X Commodity Strategy ETF. The fund uses active management to gain exposure to commodities, primarily through futures and exchange-traded products.

His involvement in commodity investing represents another major stage in his professional development. Instead of competing on an ice rink, he now works in a market environment where economic conditions, commodity prices, supply and demand, and global developments can influence investment decisions.

Professional Strengths and Public Image

Yates’s public career can be understood through three major themes: discipline, adaptability, and continuous development. His hockey career demonstrated his ability to compete at a high level, while his academic record showed that athletics was not his only focus.

His move into investment management also demonstrates adaptability. Rather than remaining defined by his former career as a hockey player, he built a second professional identity in finance. His current public profile is primarily associated with investment research rather than celebrity or entertainment.

Business and Financial Career

Yates’s current professional work centers on investment analysis and portfolio management. His research interests include emerging markets, materials, and commodities, areas that can be strongly affected by global economic conditions.

There is no reliable publicly verified information establishing his personal salary, annual income, or net worth. For that reason, specific financial figures should not be presented as facts. His professional responsibilities, however, are publicly documented through Global X materials and regulatory filings.

Personal Life

Publicly available sources provide limited information about Yates’s private life. Verified biographical information establishes his parents and siblings, his Canadian upbringing, and his strong family connection to hockey.

He has publicly discussed hockey influences from his childhood, particularly the impact of his father. He has also identified Patrice Bergeron as a player he admired because of Bergeron’s two-way ability and consistency. Information about his spouse, children, dating history, religion, or other private matters is not included because reliable public confirmation was not established.

Achievements and Highlights

Hockey Achievements

Tier I Under-18 AAA national champion with the Neponset Valley River Rats.
Overtime championship-winning goal at the youth national tournament.
Four-year Cornell hockey player.
65 career points in 120 Cornell games.
Cornell alternate captain during his senior season.
Member of Cornell’s 2017–18 ECAC Hockey regular-season championship team.
Bill Doran Sportsmanship Award recipient.
ECAC Hockey All-Academic recognition.

Finance Achievements

Developed a professional career in emerging-markets investment research.
Joined Global X in 2023.
Focused professionally on the materials sector.
Contributed published investment commentary and research.
Became a portfolio manager associated with Global X’s Commodity Strategy ETF in 2026.

Positive and Challenging Sides of His Career

A major positive aspect of Yates’s story is his ability to successfully transition between demanding professional environments. He moved from NCAA hockey to professional hockey and eventually into investment management, building a career that combines sport, economics, and finance.

The challenging side is equally important. Professional hockey is highly competitive, and not every talented college player establishes a long-term NHL career. Yates’s experience demonstrates that a professional athlete’s career can change direction and that academic preparation can become valuable when circumstances require a new path.

Conclusion

Trevor Yates has built a distinctive career that extends far beyond his time as a hockey player. From his early development in Canadian hockey and his education at Cornell University to professional competition in the AHL and ECHL, he established a foundation based on discipline and perseverance.

His later move into investment management created an entirely new chapter. With academic training in economics and finance, experience at Mirae Asset Global Investments, and a role at Global X focused on emerging markets, materials, and commodities, he has transformed his competitive background into a career in financial markets. As of 2026, his work as an investment professional and portfolio manager represents the latest stage of a career defined by adaptability and continued professional growth.