NHLCA BIPOC Coaches Spotlight

Duante’ Abercrombie, 35, is a native of Washington, DC, and is a proud alumnus of Neal Henderson’s Fort Dupont Cannons Ice Hockey Program. He spent the 2022-23 NHL season with The Toronto Maple Leafs as their Coaching Development Associate.

Before coaching with the Maple Leafs, Abercrombie coached two teams in the Washington, DC area — Stevenson University, Assistant Coach (NCAA Division 3) and The Washington Little Caps, Director of Player Achievement (AAA). He also served as the Team Gold Coach at the 2022 USA Select 17 Festival and the Team Black Coach at the 2021 USA Select 16 Festival.

He is an inaugural member of the NHLCA’s BIPOC Coaches Program and The Washington Capitals Black Hockey Committee. In 2021, he was invited by The Arizona Coyotes to be a guest coach at their Rookie Development Camp and was also selected to participate in the Boston Bruins Scouting Mentorship Program. Along with these fully immersive educational opportunities, he was also recently honored to be mentioned in articles by The Athletic and ESPN. The Athletic named him to their “Hockey’s 40 Under 40: The Important People Who Are Shaping the Game’s Future” list, and ESPN listed him as a “Coach their panel would like to see in the NHL” in their “Top rising candidates for NHL jobs” article. He hopes to continue to use his platform as a hockey coach to increase diversity and inclusivity in the game of hockey.

Abercrombie is married to his wife, Melanie, and they have two children. A five-year-old son, Patrick, and a two-year-old daughter, Ava.

Joey Ali is the Founder of Proali Goalie Training and Co-owner of Pro-Formance Goalie Schools and opened Proali Goalie Training Facility 5 years ago. His insight comes from years of playing experience in; BC Winter Games (Zone team), Junior B (PJHL), Junior A (AWHL) & College (NCAA, conference MCHA). He received his scholarship after winning a national title at the Junior A level. In College, he received student awards for academics while studying business and marketing and athletic awards for his play on the ice.

Currently, Joey is the goalie consultant for the following:

• BCIHL – Simon Fraser University
• BCHL – Langley Rivermen (eighth season in the BCHL, 2014 Champions), NCAA institutions
• BCEHL- Fraser Valley Rush (2022 league, regional Champions & Esso Cup Silver Medal)
• PJHL- Langley Trappers (2022 league & Provincial champions)
• Team Canada (Blind Hockey) works with numerous minor hockey associations.

Joey is Hockey Canada Certified Goaltending Coach (Level 3) and has been in the NHLCA BIPOC Coach Program for a two-year program. He aspires to one day coach in the NHL.

Joey is married to his lovely wife Natasha and has three beautiful children, Tatyana, Rayaan, and Aaliyah.

Derek began his coaching career as a junior at Penn State University. After playing for two seasons with the ACHA Div 2 team, he served as an assistant coach for three seasons with the then Penn State Lady Icers, helping to lead them to a 2001-2002 3rd place finish at ACHA Nationals and three consecutive National appearances. After college Derek went on to coach for one year at his high school alma mater, Gonzaga College High School (DC), as an assistant coach with the JV team. His experience then led him to serve as an assistant coach for two seasons with the Baltimore Stars of the CBHL under one of his former coaches as a player. The Stars reached the 2006 USA Southeastern District Regionals.

After moving to Boston and Cambridge, MA, in 2006, Derek served as an assistant coach within the Cambridge Youth Hockey organization, mainly working with Midget and Bantam teams, out of the GBYHL for a few seasons while juggling graduate school and work, continuing his current career in human performance (strength & conditioning/health & fitness). When it was time to move back to the DC area in 2016, Derek answered the call to become the head coach at Holton-Arms (Bethesda, MD) for two seasons. While at the helm with Holton, the Panthers finished runner-up in the Mid-Atlantic Girl’s Hockey League (MAGHL) and won the Miran Division Championship in his last season in the Women’s Interscholastic Hockey League of the Mid-Atlantic (WIHLMA).

His time after Holton-Arms led him to one of his current coaching roles: In 2018, Derek was named the Varsity 2 Head Coach at Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, VA). The Knights finished the 2019-2020 season as Chiller Tournament Thanksgiving Champions (Dublin, OH) and runner-ups in the Mid-Atlantic Prep Hockey League, in which Coach Arledge was humbly named MAPHL-A Coach of the Year. He says, “We had a young team, but they stepped up and will continue their success on and off the ice.”

While continuing to serve as a high school head coach, in 2019, Derek was named the head coach for the University of Maryland – Baltimore County (UMBC). “The Retrievers did not field a team for two seasons, so we are re-tooling as a program.”

As a fun cool down to coaching duties, Derek serves as a volunteer hockey coach with the Kids On Ice program at Fort Dupont Ice Arena (DC). “I enjoy it because I get to skate with my son and coach with two of my former teammates and classmates. One of them, Billy Bryant, heads up the KOI hockey program, and we have known each other for almost 40 years. My goodness! Did I just write that?…well, 38!”

Playing:
Capital Boys (Capital Youth) Hockey Club – `90-’97
Gonzaga College High School – `94-’97
Baltimore Jr. Bandits Midget AAA/Jr B – `97-’98
Penn State Ice Lions – `98-’00

Coaching:
Penn State Lady Icers, Asst. Coach – `00-`03 (ACHA Nationals 3rd place)
Gonzaga College High School, Asst. Coach- ’03
Baltimore Stars Midget A/AA, Asst Coach – `04-’06
Cambridge Youth Hockey Bantam/Midget, Asst. Coach – `06-’07, ’12
Holton-Arms, Head Coach – `16-’18 (WIHLMA Division Champions, MAGHL Runner-ups)
Bishop O’Connell, Varsity 2 Head Coach – `18-Present (MAPHL A Runner-ups, COY recipient)
University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Head Coach – `19-2022

A graduate of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Chris was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 2003, spending time in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), the American Hockey League (AHL), and the National Hockey League (NHL). Chris is currently in his fourth season as the goalie coach of the Mississauga Steelheads (OHL).

Jason has been coaching for 14 years at all levels from the WHL, BCHL and CSSHL. He started in 2009 as an Assistant Coach for the Prince George Cougars of the WHL. In 2014 he joined the Okanagan Hockey Academy as a Head Coach of the U18 Varsity Program. 2 years later, Jason was an Assistant Coach with the Penticton Vees. In his first season the Vees captured the BCHL Championship. In 2019-20 Jason was the Head Coach of St. George’s U18 Prep Team.

For the last 4 years Jason has been a coach at the Pacific Coast Hockey Academy, coaching at the U18 Prep, U17 Prep and currently U15 Prep Team. Jason is also heavily involved with the BC hockey Male High Performance Program in many roles from coaching, Lead Evaluator and most recently a Coach Mentor. In 2013 he was the head Coach of Team Pacific at the U17 World Hockey Challenge. He has also been a Head Coach (2023 Team BC U16 WHL Cup), Assistant Coach (2017 Team BC U16 WHL Cup, 2019 Team BC U16 Canada Winter Games) and Coach Mentor(2024) with Team BC U16 Male Program. Jason is also a certified Hockey Canada Skills Coach.

Craig Berube is a native of Calahoo, Alberta. He went un-drafted into the NHL and signed as a free agent in 1986, playing in 1054 career games for the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, and New York Islanders. He retired from professional hockey in 2003 and quickly found himself behind the bench with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL for four seasons before joining the NHL. He was an assistant coach for Philadelphia for six seasons, being promoted to head coach mid-season in 2013/14. In 2017, he joined the Blues organization as an associate coach and was named interim head coach during the 2018/19 season where he led the team to capture the Stanley Cup.

The native of Toronto, ON, has been coaching for over twenty-two years in the greater Toronto area, twelve seasons with the Toronto Red Wings and the Toronto Marlboros of the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) as Head Coach and Associate Coach. In 2014-2015 Bollers joined the Pickering Panthers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) as an Assistant coach alongside National Hockey League’s four-time Stanley Cup champion Paul Coffey. 2010-2011 Bollers served as the Head Coach of the Brampton Capitals of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, taking over the team midseason. Bollers is currently the assistant coach with the Caledon Admirals of the Ontario Junior Hockey League

Bollers worked with the Ontario Hockey Federation from 2013-2018 as a coach representing team GTHL at the OHL Gold Cup Program of Excellence tournament. 2011-213 Bollers was an associate coach for the U16 Program of Excellence. 2017-2019 Bollers was a mentor coach for the Coaches Association of Ontario, helping develop female coaches (Changing the Game – Changing the Conversation Initiative). 2013 Bollers served as a technical coach and evaluator for Hockey Canada U17 Team Ontario.

Bollers has recently appointed the Associate Coach position with Team Ontario for the upcoming 2023 Winter Games in Prince Edward Island. As an Assistant Coach for Team Ontario at the 2014-2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, BC, Bollers helped the team earn a gold medal. 

Bollers has experience as an Executive Board Member of Ice Hockey Jamaica and the Black Canadian Coaches Association. Bollers, who holds Hockey Canada High-Performance Certifications I and II, is General Manager at the Distillery Restaurant Group and Director of Player Development at Skillz Black Aces.

Cyril and his wife Michelle reside in Scarborough with their three children and a granddaughter.

Lyrrad “Rod” Braceful is in his second first season as an Amateur Scout with the Chicago Blackhawks. Rod will cover the United States, as his primary focus will be identifying players for the upcoming NHL Draft.

He most recently worked three seasons as the assistant director of player personnel for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. Braceful was responsible for evaluating, recruiting, and selecting players for the NTDP teams. Braceful was featured in back-to-back years of The Athletic “Hockey’s Top 40 under 40: The coaches, executives, scouts, and negotiators shaping the NHL’s future.

Prior to working for the NTDP, Braceful served as the director of scouting for the USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks during the 2017-18 season. He also served as the head and regional scout for the USHL Sioux Falls Stampede from 2014-2017.

The Detroit native is on the board of the NextGen AAA Foundation, which mission is to provide mentoring, education, and hockey programs to diverse, low-income, and at-risk youth throughout North America. Additionally, Braceful has served as a youth hockey coach in the metro-Detroit area for six years with the Little Caesars and Compuware Youth Hockey programs.

Braceful graduated from New England College in 2012 with a dual degree in sports and recreation management and business administration. He also served as an assistant coach at NEC while enrolled.

Fred Brathwaite was announced as the first Goaltending Coach in Henderson Silver Knights history on January 3, 2021. He most recently served as a goalie coach for the New York Islanders during the 2017-18 season. Brathwaite also worked as the goaltending coach for Hockey Canada with their Under-18 team for three seasons and held the same role with Canada’s Under-20 team. He was a goalie coach for his former club, Adler Mannheim of the German Professional League (DEL) during the 2013-14 season.

The Ottawa, Ontario, native spent nine seasons playing in the NHL, where he appeared in 254 games and posted an 81-99-37 record with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage. Brathwaite came into the league with the Edmonton Oilers and went on to play with the Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues and Columbus Blue Jackets. He also spent time with the Syracuse Crunch, the Chicago Wolves, Ak Bars Kazan and Avangard Omsk of the Russian Superleague (now the Kontinential Hockey League) and Adler Mannheim of the DEL. Brathwaite won Goaltender of the Year honors in the RSL in 2005-06 and won Player of the Year in 2008-09 in the DEL with Adler. Before embarking on his pro career, Brathwaite won a Memorial Cup in 1990 with the Oshawa Generals.

Passion for hockey is in his DNA. Introduced to the ice when he was 3-years old, Nathaniel’s connection to the game began long before that. His family played in Nova Scotia and founded Skillz Hockey to make hockey more accessible. Nathaniel played at various levels during his time as a player. This includes time in the GTHL, OJHL, OHL, USHL, USport, and semi-professional levels. This experience brought him to coaching, inspiring others while trying to put a positive contribution into the game of Hockey. He has been a skill development coach for over 15 years with experience training players from the pro to minor hockey levels.

• • Assistant Coach, Rams Men’s Hockey (2014 – 2019)

  • Development Coach – Rams Men’s Hockey (2019)

  • 2019 Herb Ebisuzaki Coaching Award (GTHL)

  • Former Head Of Coaching and Development, Forest Hill Hockey Association

  • Presented at the 2019 Coaches site conference in Toronto

Through his years of playing and teaching hockey, Kyle has developed a very thorough understanding and deep passion for the game of hockey. This same passion has driven him to not only help his students become better hockey players but to become exceptional and contributing members of society.

Throughout Kyle’s playing career, he was fortunate to gain experience across several levels of play, including playing junior hockey in Thunder Bay. After junior hockey, the sport led Kyle to university, where he suited up for his respective school teams in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA). While playing hockey, Kyle also worked towards his degree in Kinesiology, which he found to be very insightful in terms of hockey development.

With his extensive playing experience in the sport, Kyle took his degree and started to apply his knowledge to learn to skate programs throughout several municipalities. From instructing lessons to coordinating power skating to supervising the entire program, his understanding and application for progressive teaching almost became something unheard of. Kyle’s knowledge had reached beyond what he could imagine, so far that it ultimately led to an assistant coaching offer in minor hockey. Kyle took it as a challenge and a way to be able to give back to the game that gave him so much. He instantly fell in love with coaching and the bond that he was able to create with younger athletes. Kyle grew into his coaching role very quickly and now coaches at the AAA level.

With this knowledge of the game, application of progressional teaching methods, and his hockey skills, Kyle created Wild Wolf Hockey, an elite training company located in the Greater Toronto Area. Kyle’s comprehensive training model, coupled with an unwavering ability to relate to and teach athletes of all ages, has allowed Wild Wolf Hockey to quickly become one of the elite schools in the Greater Toronto Area.

His unparalleled dedication allows him to provide athletes with the best elite training, all while ensuring his students become exceptional people and contributing members of society along the way.

Rane Carnegie is a first-year Head Coach of the 2008 Toronto Young Nationals and proud grandson of the late Dr. Herb Carnegie.

In January 2020, he founded: O.W.N (Our Way Now) Aces Sports Group, a big brother and skill development company based in Toronto. Recently, Rane has been giving virtual presentations on anti-racism, addiction, and mental health through his unique life experiences to junior hockey teams across Canada.

Robert Cathcart III has served as the head of Hockey Operations and Video for the Buffalo State women’s hockey team since October 2020.

Cathcart III has a multitude of experience, serving in various video coordinator and operations roles since 2008. Prior to joining Buffalo State, he was a Beginner Skills Development Coach for ABC Hockey Adult Skills Clinic in Schenectady, N.Y., from 2017-2019. He also served as a Volunteer Assistant Coach with the RPI Women’s Hockey Team from 2014-2017 and worked for USA Hockey as a Video Coordinator for the 2014 U18 girls and 2015 U15 Girls’ Summer Development Camps. While in the Capitol Region, he also served as a Hockey Coach for the Schenectady Youth Hockey Program from 2012-2017 from mites through bantam age groups.

Along with his role at Buffalo State, Cathcart III also works with the Canisius College men’s club hockey team as an assistant coach, a position he’s held since 2019.

Cathcart III, a Buffalo native, graduated from Boston College in 2008, earning a bachelor’s degree in 2008. While at Boston College, he worked with the school’s athletic department, helping with game day and event operations. He also held the same role at the KeyBank Center, home of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. He earned a master’s degree in Sports Administration from Canisius College in 2015.

Lennie Childs was named an assistant coach with the Union College men’s hockey team on August 11 and began his first season on the bench with the Dutchmen in 2022-23.

With his hire, Childs becomes the third active black men’s assistant coach in NCAA Division I hockey, joining Leon Hayward of the University of St. Thomas and Paul Jerrard at the University of Nebraska Omaha.

Childs most recently served as an assistant coach with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL, where he primarily led player development, the penalty kill units, and offensive zone production. Prior to his time with the Buccaneers, Childs spent two seasons with the Janesville Jets as an assistant coach before being promoted to associate head coach in his third season. In addition to player development and working with the defense, he was responsible for camps, recruiting, and the day-to-day operations of the team. Under his coaching, the Jets had one of the best defensive cores in the NAHL, with the second-ranked penalty kill in the 2020-21 season.
During the 2017-18 season, Childs served as the head coach for the Skipjacks Hockey Club of the USPHL, where he guided the team to a 27-10-7 record.

As a player, Childs spent his 4 U16/U18 seasons with Team Maryland. He captained the 2009-10 Team Maryland U18 that placed 3rd in the USA Hockey National Championships. Childs then spent two years with the Janesville Jets serving as an Assistant Captain during his tenure. After his Junior career, he played collegiately at Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin. During the 2013-14 season, Childs was an Assistant Captain for the Falcons. Upon graduation in 2016, he became the Head Coach of the Milwaukee Junior Admirals youth program.

Marquise Cotten started playing in Washington, DC, for coach Neal Henderson, then went on to play at Gonzaga and Bridgton Academy. He then played his college hockey at Lebanon Valley College and Rowan University.

For the past year, Cotten has been coaching in Mason City, Iowa, for the Toros (NA3HL) and helping with the bulls (NAHL). His journey began at his alma mater, Gonzaga College High School, and the Washington Little Caps U18AAA team. Cotten is constantly learning and growing as a coach and a person. His ultimate goal is to help every kid grow, continue to grow as a coach, and be the best version of himself every day.

The 2024-25 season will be Zack’s second as head coach of the Griffins men’s hockey program, but he served as interim head coach of the Griffins in 2022-23 and was previously an assistant coach under Mike Ringrose from 2017-22. He has also served as an on-ice instructor at Vimy Ridge Academy, working with junior high and high school athletes. Zack had a decorated playing career, logging 373 Western Hockey League games with the Everett Silvertips, where he served as team captain for two seasons. He was also a part of two national championship teams with the University of Alberta Golden Bears during a five-year U SPORTS career.

Ryan Dumoulin is in his first year as Video Coach and Team Services Specialist for the Ontario Reign, the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings. Ryan spent three years working as Video Analyst and Director of Analytics for the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL between 2021 and 2024. Ryan is from Cochrane, Ontario and is a proud member of Taykwa Tagamou Nation, a Cree First Nation located just outside of Cochrane.

Cameron Fernandez currently serves as the assistant boy’s hockey coach at the Millbrook School. A 2019 graduate of the school, his main responsibilities with the team include recruiting, practice planning, game management, and goaltender development.

Prior to returning to Millbrook, Fernandez graduated from Connecticut College with a degree in Economics. As a goaltender, he played 4 years for the Camels who compete in the NESCAC at the NCAA III level. In the summer of 2023 he worked for the Pittsburgh Penguins as Data & Video Analytics intern with their hockey operations department.

In addition to coaching hockey, he works in Millbrook’s math department and academic center while also serving as a dorm parent. He is originally from Fairfield, Connecticut.

Max Fortunus was hired as assistant coach of the Texas Stars on May 20, 2021. It is his first coaching position held following a 17-year professional career that spanned more than 1,100 regular season games in the NHL, AHL, DEL, and ECHL. Six of those seasons were spent with the Stars including a three-year stint as team captain.

Fortunus, 38, moves behind the bench after spending the previous three seasons with Fischtown of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), Germany’s top professional hockey league. He recorded 50 points (7-43=50) in 139 career DEL games with Fischtown, serving as an assistant captain for all three seasons with the club from 2018-21.

Prior to his time in Fischtown, Fortunus spent 15 seasons in the AHL where he amassed 286 points (76-210=286) in 882 career games with Houston, Manitoba, Texas, Iowa and Springfield. The former defenseman recorded 167 points (44-123=167) in 402 career games with Texas over six seasons from 2009-15. Fortunus was named an assistant captain for the 2011-12 campaign before serving as Texas’ captain from 2012-15. He ranks third in Texas Stars history in games played (402), fourth in assists (123), sixth in points (167) and 16th in goals (44), while he ranks first among defensemen in club history in each category.

Fortunus made 10 trips to the Calder Cup Playoffs in his AHL career, logging 31 points (6-25=31) in 118 career AHL postseason games. Of his 10 career playoff appearances, five came with Texas, recording 15 points (2-13=15) in 63 Calder Cup Playoff games in a Texas sweater. Fortunus won the 2014 Calder Cup with Texas, while he also reached the Calder Cup Final in 2009 with Manitoba and again in 2010 with Texas. He was also named to the 2014-15 AHL All-Star Game.

The native of La Prairie, Quebec, appeared in nine career NHL contests with Dallas during the 2009-10 and 2013-14 seasons, recording one assist (0-1=1). Additionally, he spent parts of two seasons with Louisiana of the ECHL from 2003-05, registering 42 points (11-31=42) in 123 games. Prior to his professional debut in 2003-04, Fortunus logged 148 points (40-108=148) in 285 career games in five seasons with Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL, earning QMJHL First All-Star Team honors and winning the Emile Bouchard Trophy as the QMJHL’s Defenseman of the Year in 2002-03.

Born in Cuba and growing up in France, Léo played hockey until the age of 23, then decided to follow his passion and started coaching.

After traveling in Europe to visit and learn from successful organizations and coaches, his career started in Norrtälje IK, Sweden, where he worked as an assistant and skills coach for the U18 team. Then he had the opportunity to be the head coach of SDE J18, playing at the highest level in Sweden.

From 2020 to 2022, Léo coached in Switzerland. He started as a video coach for the Lausanne HC and is currently an assistant and video coach for the SC Bern, one of the most renowned clubs in Europe.

Most recently, Leo became Head Coach of Sollentuna (Swedish J20 Elit League).

Léo is known for his positive energy and soft skills, which allows him to connect with coaches and develop players from all age groups (junior to a veteran) and level (U18 to NHL).

Leon Hayward joined The University of St. Thomas In June of 2021 for the Tommies’ inaugural Division I season. The school’s transition directly to Division I NCAA hockey from the Division III level has never been done before. Hayward leads UST’s recruiting efforts and works with the team’s forwards and penalty kill.

The Seattle, Washington, native served as an assistant coach for four seasons at Colorado College, working with defensemen and penalty kill on the ice while coordinating the Tigers’ recruitment processes. Hayward helped Colorado College’s Division I recruiting class rankings to move to 4th Nationally from 39th and 13th, along with bringing in three players who were NHL draft selections. Hayward, who has his master’s degree in Leadership from Northeastern, is currently in his 16th coaching season.

For nine seasons, Hayward coached high school hockey in Connecticut and Massachusetts at Avon Old Farms, Governors, and Taft prep schools. While coaching at Avon Old Farms, he would coach four future USA Hockey WJC players and 5 NHL draft picks, including 1st round selections Trevor Zegras and Spencer Knight.

In his only season coaching professionally, Hayward helped lead the Texas Wildcatters to historic single-season ECHL records. In 2007-2008 the Wildcatters would rank among the top single-season teams in ECHL history. Fewest Losses (9) and Fewest Road Losses (6) 1st ECHL all-time, 23 Consecutive games without a regulation loss (18-0-5), and Most Road Wins (26) tied for 1st ECHL all-time, Best Points Percentage (.799) tied 2nd ECHL all-time, and Fewest Home Losses (3) 3rd ECHL all-time.

He played in 132 college games as a forward at Division I Northeastern (1998-2002), scoring 30 points (15 goals), and as a senior, received the team’s Unsung Hero Award. He scored 85 goals and had 88 assists in six pro seasons, including four in the American Hockey League. He led Trenton to an ECHL Kelly Cup championship in 2005 and was named Kelly Cup Finals MVP as he finished with 11 points over 20 playoff games.

Hayward and his wife, Jessica, have two sons, Ellison and Harlan.

Derrick Henderson is a native of Levittown, PA and got his start playing street and roller hockey.

After high school, Derrick attended Bowling Green State University, where he began taking ice hockey classes. His passion for hockey led him to an opportunity to become a student equipment manager for the Falcons’ NCAA Division 1 team. During his time in this role, Derrick would learn from the BG coaching staff led by the longtime college coach, Buddy Powers.

After college, Henderson would continue playing in roller hockey leagues in Michigan and Arizona before returning to Bowling Green and beginning his coaching career – working with goalies for the BGSU Women’s ACHA hockey team as well as  BG Youth Hockey Travel teams.

After moving to Columbus, OH, Derrick immediately began working with the Columbus Ice Hockey Club and the Easton Youth Hockey Association, eventually becoming EYHA’s Director of Goalie Development. From there, he began working with several area high school programs, working his way from goalie coach to assistant coach to head coach.

Derrick is currently an Assistant Coach at the U18AAA level with the Maine Jr. Mariners with a specific focus on Video and Analytics.

When not coaching with the Jr. Mariners, Derrick lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, Yana.

Michael “Hutty” Hutton, originally from Royal Oak, Michigan, began his hockey playing career at age six after his family had relocated to North Carolina, where he skated every day at the local ice rink that was in a mall. Hutton went on to play hockey for the next 15 years, from youth all the way to Junior A level. Growing up, Hutton went to two summer sessions at Michigan State University Hockey training camp, Darren Turcotte Stickhandling training camp, and Robbie Glantz Power Skating Hockey camp. After playing for multiple years, Hutton was a five time North and South Carolina State Games Gold Medalist, Participated at Hockey Night in Boston (Team South East) and the Chicago Showcase (Team South East). Shortly after, competing in the USA Hockey National Team Development Program camps (Under 16 and 17), and then playing Tier 1 AAA Midgets with the Soo Indians and Soo Hawks for the next few seasons in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. Then played, Junior A in the American Western Hockey League with the Bismarck Bobcats in Bismarck, North Dakota, and the following season with the Texas Tornado North American Hockey League in Dallas, Texas. After an unfortunate automobile accident at age 20 from a tire blowout traveling to the Tornado training camp that ended Hutton’s hockey-playing career, he dove into coaching.

Hutton is a Passionate, self-motivated, and experienced coach who has proven leadership skills for 18 years. Involved in the successful training and guiding of sports teams that have accomplished continual high goals. Familiar with the requirements it takes to strengthen and encourage injured players to wellness again. Specializes in developing mental toughness and standards of excellence in athletic ability. Familiar with the requirements it takes to cultivate a group of individual players to form one solid, synergistic team. Former players have moved on to play at the professional level: NHL, AHL, and International, along with NCAA college D1, D3, and at the Junior level. Texas Tornado, which won four NAHL championships during his tenure, along with three National Championships (2000-2007.

Hutton resides in Matthews, right outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. In the meantime, he trains upcoming elite hockey players, Off Ice Officials with Charlotte Checkers – American Hockey League. Also, Vice President of the mental health foundation for the hockey community in the Carolinas while attending school in the Pharmacy Technology Science Degree program.

CEP Level 5

Coaching Experience:

• New Jersey Colonials Youth Hockey
• Connecticut Jr Whalers Youth Hockey
• Texas Tornado (NAHL)
• University of North Carolina-Charlotte
• Queen City Royals Youth Hockey
• Charlotte Flames Youth Hockey
• Pineville Falcons Youth Hockey

Hockey Competitor 15 years:

• Junior A-North American Hockey League (Texas Tornado 1999 & 2000)
• Junior A-American Western Hockey League (Bismarck Bobcats 1998)
• AAA Midget Soo Hawks (1997)
• AAA Midget Soo Indians (1996)
• Hockey America NHL Summer Camp Head Instructor-1996-1998
• Chicago Showcase (Team South East: 1995)
• Hockey Night in Boston (Team South East: 1995)
• USA National Team Development Program (Under 16, 17: 1995 & 1996)
• Team South All Stars (1993-1995)
• Robby Glantz International Power Skating Training (1994 & 1995)
• Darren Turcotte Stickhandling Training (1990-1993)
• five time North and South Carolina State Games Gold Medalist (1988-1993)
• ten seasons of youth hockey (Charlotte Amateur Hockey association: 1985-1995)

Frantz Jean was born in Montreal and played his junior hockey with St-Hyacinthe and Victoriaville of the QMJHL. He received a scholarship to the Université de Moncton, winning the National Championship in 1995. Frantz began coaching at the young age of 14, having worked under the supervision of notable coaches like Francois Allaire and Phil Myre.

He was a goaltending consultant for Hockey Canada in the summers of 2009 and 2010 winning a Gold Medal at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and is also a member of Hockey Canada’s National Goaltending Consultants Team. His big break came with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL where he coached for 12 years before joining Tampa Bay in 2010. With Moncton, Jean’s goaltenders allowed the least number of goals in four different seasons, been named defensive player of the year or goaltender of the year three times, named first or second all-star teams on five occasions, and had six goalies drafted or signed as a free agent in the NHL.

In 2010,Jean joined the Tampa Bay Lightning as the team’s goaltending coach where he works with all goalies throughout the organization winning the Stanley Cup in 2020. To date some of his most notable accomplishments with the Tampa organization include, Jean has coached their goaltenders to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, 2019 Presidents Trophy, 2015 Stanley Cup Final, 2013 Calder Cup Final, 2012 Calder, and Kelly Cup Championships. Additionally, Jean coached Andrei Vasilevskiy to the franchise’s first Vezina Trophy in franchise history in 2019 having produced four Vezina finalists in Ben Bishop (2014 & 2016) and Andrei Vasilevskiy (2018 & 2019).

Suneil was born in Nanaimo, BC and currently lives in Victoria, BC. He started his career at a young age coaching minor hockey in Nanaimo. He quickly moved to junior hockey where he coached with the Victoria Cougars and found a talent for developing players for Junior A. Suneil won many championships at the Jr B level and made his way to the BCHL as an assistant coach with the Powell River Kings finding success along the way, culminating in a National Championship, winning the Royal Bank Cup with the Chilliwack Cheifs, as an assistant coach.
Suneil is currently the Assistant Coach and Assistant General Manager with the Victoria Grizzlies of the BCHL.

Born and raised in Michigan, John Kennedy J’s Career in hockey has taken him to the other side of the world. Following a successful NAHL career, which included winning a national championship with the St. Louis Bandits under head coach Jon Cooper, John was recruited to play for the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Engineers. He captained the team in his Junior and Senior season leading the school to an NCAA Tournament appearance. Following his collegiate career, he played semi-pro in the CHL before moving to Australia in 2012. John won two AIHL national championships with the Newcastle Northstars and began coaching the team in 2019 being named Coach of the Year for the league.

John is responsible for co-founding the National Sport Academy (NSA) Hockey – Australia’s leading development academy helping and advising the top players to get recruited overseas and advancing their hockey journey. With NSA, John works with the local hockey community to introduce people to the game, develop players’ abilities, and help provide resources to coaches.

Sam Kim had a different path to joining the coaching fraternity than most in the NHL. He began his career in hockey as Sparky the Dragon, the New York Islanders mascot. A graduate of Boston College with a degree in Economics and a Master’s Degree in Sport Management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Kim has held many roles throughout his journey to joining the Toronto Maple Leafs as the team’s video coach in 2020. Kim was the first coach to lead Columbia to the MCHC Championships in 2010 as the team’s head coach before he joined the American International College as the video coordinator and later the Director of Hockey Operations. He went on to spend three seasons in the AHL, one season with Springfield as the team’s video and statistical coordinator (2015-16) and two seasons with Bakersfield as the Video Coordinator (2018-20). Additionally, Kim was the video coach with the Korea Ice Hockey Association, where he won a silver medal at the D1A World Championships and a gold medal at the D2A World Championships both in 2017. Kim also holds his Coaching Education Program Level IV Certification from USA Hockey.

Sinclair Kim is in his third season as a coach with the Greater Vancouver Canadians. Hockey has taken Kim all over the world, with stops in South Korea and most recently Sweden. He has worked with players from all levels from beginners to professionals. His passion is to help young players grow, both on-and-off the ice.

After growing up and playing hockey in the lower mainland, Kim continued his hockey playing journey all the way to the college level. His coaching career highlight is getting to coach in a different country and experiencing different hockey cultures.

Video coach Nigel Kirwan is an original member of the Lightning organization. He is responsible for breakdown of pre-scout and game film, formulation of scouting reports on opposing clubs and the creation of highlight and specialty film for use by the Lightning coaches and players. Additionally, Kirwan previously coached Lightning prospects during team rookie and development camps.

Kirwan coached amateur hockey at various levels in both Canada and the United States for 17 years. He is very active in youth hockey camps and clinics, including Tampa Bay’s “Lightning Made” youth camps. He also served as the video coach for Team USA at the 2009 and 2008 World Championships in Switzerland and Canada, respectively. Kirwan also joined Team USA for the 2016 World Cup. Kirwan was also part of the Lightning Stanley Cup Champion teams in both 2004 and 2020.

A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Kirwan attended the University of Western Ontario and the University of Tampa. He started with the Lightning as a member of the front office staff for four years before then-coach Terry Crisp hired him prior the start of the 1996-97 season.

Ryan Kuwabara was most recently the Head Coach of the Niagara IceDogs in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), one of three Major Junior hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), which is known as the premiere player development league in the world for the NHL.

On the ice, Kuwabara, 51, was a second-round (39th overall) selection by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1990 NHL Draft, prior to signing a three-year NHL entry level contract with the Canadiens that season. In the OHL, Kuwabara was a first-round (8th overall) draft pick by the Ottawa 67’s and notably amassed 100 points (43G, 57A) in just 66 games in one season with the 67’s. He earned the honor to represent Japan both on home-soil in the 1998 (XVIII) Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan and again as a captain for the Japanese National Team at the 2001 IIHF Men’s World Championship.

A proven winner, Kuwabara earned seven championships throughout his 18-year professional hockey playing career, 15 of which were spent playing in Japan and Asia. He was also a member of the Saginaw Spirit staff that secured the 2018-19 OHL West Division title. Off the ice, Kuwabara won the community service award for the Montreal Canadiens’ AHL
affiliate, the Fredericton (N.B.) Canadiens (now the Laval Rocket), during the 1993-94 season and was the recipient of the Bobby Smith Trophy during the 1989-90 season, which is awarded to the OHL Scholastic Player of the Year.

Kuwabara and his family reside in Hamilton, Ont.

Samson Lee was born and raised in British Columbia and graduated from Boston College with a degree in accounting in 2012. While studying at Boston College, he worked as the video coordinator for the varsity men’s hockey team for four seasons working under Hockey Hall of Fame member Jerry York. After graduation, he joined Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL as the Video Coach for three seasons. Lee made the jump to the NHL with the LA Kings in 2015, where he serves as the Kings Video Coordinator for Todd McLellan’s staff.

Jared Levine grew up in Binghamton, New York after being adopted out of Wichita, Kansas. Levine started his playing career in Cortland, New York eventually making his way up to Syracuse to play for the Syracuse Stars for two seasons under Head Coach Scott Montagna. After Syracuse he went to play for the Florida Eels under Jason Bloomingburg in 2015-2016.

Levine started goalie coaching at the age of 14 for a camp called Rock Solid Goaltending in St John’s, Newfoundland. After his playing career ended, he didn’t go into coaching right away and instead went to flight school. After flight school, Levine was unable to find a job due to the coronavirus pandemic and picked up odd jobs until he moved to Fort Wayne in 2022.

Since his move to Fort Wayne in 2022, he has since founded Aviator Goaltending. He began his coaching career with the Indiana Tech Women’s Hockey Team and is currently the Goaltending Coach for the Fort Wayne Spacemen of the USPHL.

Levine plans to continue growing Aviator Goaltending to its fullest potential over the years.

Sudarshan Maharaj is a native of Trinidad and grew up in Toronto. He attended York University where he played on the 1984-85 Championship team before spending six seasons playing professionally in Sweden. He joined the New York Islanders organization from 2003 to 2006 as the team’s goalie coach before returning to the team as the goaltending consultant from 2009 to 2012. During this time away from the Islanders, he helped develop the National Goaltending Training Program for Hockey Canada. Since 2013, Maharaj has been with the Anaheim Ducks organization, spending three seasons as a goaltending consultant for the team’s American League affiliate San Diego (formerly Norfolk) and in 2016, took over as the goaltending coach for the Ducks.

Born in Vanderhoof British Columbia, Grew up and played minor hockey there for 10 Seasons. Left home at 15 and played 6 seasons of junior hockey between BC, Alberta and finally Manitoba where he served has team Captain of the Winkler Flyers junior A hockey team. After moving on from junior hockey, played a season of pro overseas in Sweden followed by 6 more season of minor pro in the US. After retiring from playing, began coaching the following season for a former junior team in Alberta . Over the past 6 seasons have coached all levels of hockey from minor hockey, academy hockey and junior hockey for both male and female programs. Was the first ever South Asian Head Coach and GM in the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.

Manny Malhotra joined the Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of the 2020 NHL Season as an Assistant Coach. A Mississauga, Ontario native, Malhotra had spent the previous three NHL seasons as an assistant coach for Vancouver after first joining the Canucks’ staff as a development coach in in 2016-17. 

As a player, Malhotra played 16 seasons in the NHL across seven organizations after being drafted in the first round (seventh overall) by the New York Rangers in the 1998 NHL Draft. Through his NHL career, Malhotra recorded 295 points (116 goals, 179 assists) in 991 regular season games while also skating in 35 career Stanley Cup playoff games. He also won a Calder Cup championship in 2000 with the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL), playing in all 23 postseason games for the club. Prior to beginning his professional career, he won an OHL Championship in 1998 with the Guelph Storm. 

Internationally, Malhotra represented Canada at the World Championships in 2002 after playing for his country at the World Junior Championships in 1998 and 2000. He served as captain for Canada at the 2000 World Juniors, capturing a bronze medal. He was also a member of Canada’s Spengler Cup championship team in 2015-16.

The 2022-23 season is the first season for Martin as Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations of the K-Wings, after three behind the bench as Kalamazoo’s assistant Coach. This follows a playing career that spanned 15 seasons arcoss all levels of professional hockey. On January 18, 2021, Martin was inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame.

Martin is no stranger to Kalamazoo, as the former player, assistant and now head coach played nine seasons for the K-Wings before retiring after the 2017-18 season. Currently, Martin ranks No. 1 in ECHL history for career 30-plus win seasons (3), is fifth in ECHL history for career wins (200), and he put together the third best season by any ECHL goaltender, posting 36 victories in 2015-16.

Joel also holds the Kalamazoo Wings record for career wins (229), shutouts (21), games played (422), minutes played (24,755), and saves (12,310). For his efforts, Martin brought the Colonial Cup home to Kalamazoo in 2005-06.

Prior to making his professional debut in 2003 with the Bakersfield Condors, Martin spent three seasons in the Western Hockey League with Lethbridge, Tri-City, Vancouver, and Calgary, where he appeared in 123 games, posting a 46-50-9 record, with a 3.24 GAA and a .893% save percentage.

Martin resides in Kalamazoo with his wife Caroline and sons, Louis and Thomas.

Former hockey player turned coach. American born with roots from Jamaica now living in Stockholm Sweden. Today working as a Player Development Coach for Massop Hockey Sweden where we train individual players to hone their hockey skills and personal attributes to take their game to the next level. Players include professional end elite athletes. Currently also Head Coach for a J20 Elite team in Stockholm Sweden.

Jose Matamoros, a Waupun, Wisconsin native, is currently in his second season as an Assistant Coach for the Men’s NCAA D3 program at Concordia University Wisconsin. At Concordia, Jose serves in various capacities ranging from goalie coaching, creating and implamenting team systems and game plans, recruiting, live coding games, and coordinating the team’s travel arrangements and meals while on the road. Prior to CUW, Jose spent the 2020-22 seasons as the associate head coach for the Marquette University High School hockey team where he helped formulate the special team systems and ran the defense. Jose also was the assistant coach for the Milwaukee Power (NA3HL) in the 2020-21 season, where he ran the defense and assisted with recruitment. Several of the Power players from that season went on to play collegiate hockey. Prior to Marquette and Milwaukee, Jose served as the Head Coach for the Beaver Dam Golden Beavers High School Varsity Hockey team in the WIAA, where he led the program to a 30-17-4 overall record over two seasons, and led them to the program’s second ever Sectional Final game in 2019. Those two seasons were the first winning seasons the program saw in over 14 years. 

As a player, Jose spent his youth years playing locally for the Waupun Youth Hockey Association. He switched from being a defensive player to a goalie in his first year as a Bantam, and continued with the position all through college. Jose played high school hockey for his local high school before revamping the ACHA D2 program at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee in the fall of 2009. He spent four seasons playing for the Panthers in Milwaukee, as well as, being the team Treasurer and Scheduler. Jose also led the charge on creating the new Sport and Recs Program for all the club sports at UWM. He graduated from UWM in the Spring of 2013 with an Accounting and Finance degree. Upon graduation, Jose became a professional baseball umpire in the minor leagues of Major League Baseball, and currently serves as a crew chief at the AAA level.

Growing up in Long Beach, California, PD grew up playing for the California Wave and LA Jr. Kings organizations. After his playing career PD reached out to Colin Zulianelo to work and learn under his guidance. PD moved back home to give back to the youth by providing goalie coaching with the LA Jr. Kings. In 2019 he moved to Anchorage, AK, to take over the role vacated by Steve Thompson, which included running AKGA, a goaltending academy in AK, along with working for USA hockey as Alaska (GDC) and Working at UAA (NCAA D1) under Matt Curley. In 2020 he was promoted to Director of hockey operations for UAA while continuing to run AKGA and putting on coaching clinics all over the state of Alaska. In 2021 Matt Smaby hired him as Assistant Coach for the Waterloo Blackhawks (USHL).

Alfie was born in Selkirk, Manitoba, where he played all his minor hockey until he left for Saskatchewan to play his Jr hockey. He then earned a scholarship to play for the Maine Black Bears.

During his playing days with the Black Bears, Michaud helped guide the University of Maine to its second NCAA National Championship in 1999, earning the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player accolade and an NCAA All-Tournament team recognition. In 1998 Michaud was named to the Hockey East All-Tournament team.

Following his graduation from the University of Maine in 1999, Michaud spent parts of 15 years as a goaltender in the professional ranks, including stints with the National Hockey League’s Vancouver Canucks and the American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch and Manitoba Moose.
After retiring from playing, Alfie was hired by the Arizona Coyotes to work with their AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates. After one year with the Pirates, Alfie went back to his Alma mater to be the goalie coach for the Maine Black Bears. After a year of goalie coach, Alfie was promoted to full-time assistant coach, which he has been doing for the last six seasons.

T.J. Millar’s coaching experience spans 10 seasons at the Junior level and above. The Calgary, Alberta native is currently an Associate Coach with the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League.

During the 2021-2022 Season, T.J. was appointed as the inaugural associate with the Toronto Maple Leafs as part for their Management and Coaching Development Program.

Prior to joining the Maple Leafs. Millar spent 5 Years between the Alberta Junior Hockey League (2018-2021) and the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (2016-2018) winning an SJHL Championship in 2018.

Millar began his coaching path as a student at the sports institute of Finland, located in Vierumäki, Finland. Acquiring a degree in Sports Management with an emphasis in Ice Hockey Coaching.

David Kyu-Ho Min started his hockey journey in Seoul, South Korea before his family immigrated to Coquitlam, British Columbia and then to Washington. He grew up playing hockey in Bellevue, Wash. before joining Sno-King Amateur Hockey Association as their Head Skills Coach and Assistant Hockey Director. David has a thorough Skills Coaching background, serving beginner players all the way to the NHL, and has extensive knowledge of the youth hockey scene in the PNW. He also has experience running Coaching Education Program clinics and serving as an on-ice skills instructor and evaluator for USA Hockey.

Currently – David helps develop players, teams, and coaches for the Kraken Youth Hockey Association throughout the season as well as Head Coaches the 14u AAA team.

Adam has a diverse and multifaceted background in hockey. As a current Scout for the Green Bay Gamblers in the USHL and former Coach for the Coquitlam Express in the BCHL, Adam brings a keen eye for talent and a passion for player development. Adam leverages his experience as a management consultant, an MBA and a Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence in his role as the COO of Drive Hockey Analytics, a Vancouver-based hockey analytics startup building NHL-level player and puck tracking technology for all levels of the sport with a focus on youth and amateur hockey. This past year, Adam was also the Hockey Operations Fellow at the NHL where he assisted Central Scouting and Hockey Operations departments.

Tim Ohashi grew up in Washington, DC and went on to graduate from Brown University with a plan to become a middle school teacher. His plans changed when he suffered a serious injury, leaving him with nothing to do which is when he enrolled in sports management graduate classes at Georgetown University. This program fuelled his desire to get his foot in the door and started his career path to working in the NHL with the Washington Capitals and now the Seattle Kraken. In Washington, he worked under coach Barry Trotz who heavily relied on video as a coaching tool and provided Ohashi with the opportunity to work in the NHL. Ohashi recently became the first coaching hire for the Seattle Kraken, the newest expansion team in the NHL in fall of 2020.

Rob Pambrun was announced as the first-ever Sports Science Coach in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) and is currently working for the Niverville Nighthawks. He previously played junior A hockey in the MJHL for the Portage Terriers, the Southeast Blades, and the Winnipeg Saints. He suffered a career-ending knee injury and moved onto become a professional fitness consultant and trainer.

Rob is a performance and physique specialist and owns a global fitness consulting corporation known as Team Prep Starz. His knowledge and experience in the fitness industry have allowed him to work with many professional athletes, bodybuilders, and celebrities. Rob’s scientific approach to perfecting game day performance has been a major success with his hockey clients, including junior and professional players.

Christopher Pascall started his coaching journey in 2017. He was given the opportunity to start off in Junior AAA with the Chambly Forts a team based out in Quebec. After a successful season he received an offer to join the Lac St. Louis Lions in the prestigious Midget AAA league. Both of these seasons were crucial to the development of Christopher’s video coaching journey. 

Once those two seasons were complete Christopher made a return to Junior AAA where he began a new chapter with the Montreal East Rangers this time as a scout and video coach.  Along with learning how to become a scout, Christopher was also learning a new software with this club called Catapult Thunder which many teams are currently using in the NHL.  It would serve as a great skill that he was able to use as he continued climbing the ranks firstly with McGill University where he spent two seasons as their video coach. 

McGill was also a huge milestone in Christopher’s journey as he credits this time period where he grew immensely as a video coach. Finally just before starting his third season with the Redbirds of McGill, Christopher got an opportunity to climb the ranks once more and joined the Trois Rivieres Lions in the ECHL. Christopher remains passionate and always looking for opportunities to grow as he continues to move forward in this industry. 

A native of Toronto, ON, Payne is entering his third season with the Cyclones and most recently was hired as the first black Head Coach in North American professional hockey. Payne is also the Director or Hockey Operations alongside his Head Coaching duties. During his two years with the Cyclones they have gone 89-30-16 including a regular season best 51-13-8 record in 2018-2019. Prior to coming to Cincinnati, he served as the Player Development coach of the Niagara IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) as well as General Manager of the Georgetown Raiders of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL). He also coached both the Toronto Patriots of the OJHL and the Mississauga Sens AAA program. Payne is also the owner of the Precision Skating School in Toronto where his program focuses on the key dynamics of skating, puck handling techniques, defensive tactics, and other game related skills. He has worked with all levels of hockey players – from pee wee all the way to professional players.

Rico L. Phillips serves the Ontario Hockey League as Director of Cultural Diversity and Inclusion since 2020. He is responsible for efforts towards positively transforming the culture within the sport of hockey throughout the OHL.

His journey in hockey started as an student athletic trainer in 1984 which lead him to learning how to skate and becoming a player, referee , coach and founder and executive director of the Flint Inner City Youth Hockey Program in 2010. The Program introduces children between the ages of 8-11 who reside in the City of Flint (MI) the game of ice hockey barrier-free. Rico’s grassroots programming work was featured in 2019 when he was awarded the prestigious Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award. Since then, he has taken the platform opportunity to collaborate with leaders at all levels of the sport. He also serves on the advisory board for grassroots initiatives with the Hockey Diversity Alliance .

Rico continues to referee high school hockey in Michigan for the past 35 seasons.

Rico is married to his wife Sandy and has 3 adult children and one grandchild.

Paul Plaisir is in his 6th year as the U18/Prep Hockey Assistant Coach at Culver Academies in Culver Indiana. He has been dedicated to the development of his players and helping them achieving their goals with players moving on to Juniors, NCAA, and professionally. In addition to hockey at Culver, he is also an Anatomy & Physiology and a Wellness Education Instructor and serving as a dorm parent for three years. In 2021-22, he was also a member of initial Boston Bruins Diversity & Inclusion Scouting Mentorship cohort.

Paul grew up playing in Quebec in Laval’s structure before moving to St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire for three years. He then went on to play DIII hockey at Lake Forest College for two years before transferring to Concordia where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biology. After his transfer, Paul got right into coaching and has coached a variety of age groups at a highly competitive level over the past 10 years and is always looking to learn from the best in the sport. He aspires to open doors at the next level while building connection with fellow BIPOC coaches.

Also, an owner/operator of RISE Sport Test, Kyle has worked closely with a premier list of clients, including the Calgary Flames, Beantown Classic Showcase, WHL Prospect Combines/Okanagan Hockey Group, and the MJHL. Testing events have also included the likes of QMJHL US Showcase, QMJHL Gatorade Excellence Challenge, Hockey BC U-15 Provincial Camp, Western Prospects Showcase, and more.

• Manager, Programming: Manitoba Junior Hockey League – 2020-Present
• Chair, Junior Hockey: Hockey Manitoba Board of Directors – 2021-Present
• Skills Support: University of Manitoba Bisons (Men) – 2022 (Summer & December Break)
• Head On-Ice Testing: Calgary Flames, Development Camp & Rookie Training Camp – 2018, 2019
• Director of Operations: U-17 Team Canada Black (Hockey Canada) – 2015 World U-17
• Director of Operations: U-16 Team Manitoba (Hockey Manitoba) – 2011-2017 WHL Cup
• General Manager: U-16 Team Manitoba (Male), Canada Games – 2015 Prince George
• Director of Operations: U-18 Team Manitoba (Hockey Manitoba) – 2008-2011 National U-18
• General Manager: U-18 Team Manitoba (Female), Canada Games – 2011 Halifax
• Local Liaison: U-18 Team Canada Pre-Tournament Camp – 2016 Winnipeg (2016 IIHF Worlds)
• Media Apprentice: Hockey Canada, National U-17 Program – 2014 World U-17
• Team Services Chair: True North Sports + Entertainment Host Committee – 2011 World U-17
• Director of Operations: MB High Performance 1 Coach Seminar – 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015

Saapaata “ From The Kainai First Nation (Blood Tribe) of The Blackfoot Confederacy in Treaty 7. Wacey is a retired professional hockey player and now a coach in the WHL. He grew playing minor hockey all over Alberta before playing for the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL. He captained the Blades and was also drafted into the NHL by the Boston Bruins. He finished his final year of junior with the Vancouver Giants he won a memorial cup. Wacey went onto a 15 year professional career playing for 4 NHL organizations including the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators Winnipeg Jets and in 8 countries around the world. After his retirement from professional hockey Wacey went onto coach The Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the BCHL. He is currently in his third season as an assistant coach for the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL.

Wacey recently celebrated his 4 years of Sobriety in April. Sharing his healing and recovery journey, He hopes to offer strength and hope to anyone who is also struggling with addictions and mental health.

Bryce Reddick was named an assistant coach with the Wisconsin Windigo in the NAHL on June 16, 2024. This will be his first full time coaching role.

Reddick recently just finished a 12 year pro career which saw him spend time in the ECHL, CHL, and various leagues across Europe. For two seasons he was able to get his feet wet in coaching while being a player assistant coach with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits under current Halifax Mooseheads head coach Andrew Lord. Reddick spent three season with the Cardiff Devils while in Europe. During those three seasons he was tasked with helping the coaching staff recruit during the off season. In 2017-2018 the Devils won the regular season title and back to back playoff titles in 2018 and 2019.

Before he turned pro he spent four years at Michigan Tech, where he earned a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Coaching. Before his collegiate career he spent 2 years playing in the BCHL with the Cowichan Capitals.

Reddick’s father is Stanley Cup champion Eldon ‘Pokey’ Reddick, who played a total 19 years professionally and spent time with the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers, and Florida Panthers.

Dennis Ruppe, 26, is currently in his first year as Manager of Hockey Operations for Hockey in New Jersey. Hockey in New Jersey is a non-profit hockey organization that proves underserved youth the opportunity to play hockey and learn various life skills for free.

Prior to his time at Hockey in New Jersey, Dennis grew up playing and coaching in the Atlantic District. Playing his youth hockey for the New Jersey Rockets before moving on to play junior in NY and finally PA for the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers where he was an EHL Champion in 2016-17. The following season he would commit to Becker College (NCAA III) before transferring to The Ohio State University.

While at Ohio State University, Dennis graduated with a degree in exercise science while playing for 3 years for the Buckeyes ACHA II team where he would help lead the team to league titles and their first National Championship birth in over 30 years. His final semester on campus he served as an assistant coach on the women’s ACHA II team helping lead their offense and special teams to an undefeated first half of the season.

Dennis has been coaching since he was 15 years old in various roles including private skills coaching individuals from mites to professional players, power skating instructor, lead camp instructor, and behind the bench for various spring and summer teams.

Paul joins the Bantams staff after serving as an assistant coach at Curry College for the past two seasons. With the help of Russell, the Colonels posted a 43-12-2 record, including a pair of 20-win seasons, with a 31-7-1 mark in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) play. The Colonels advanced to the NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Championship Quarterfinals twice while Russell was at Curry, earning a Top-10 ranking both seasons, including being ranked sixth in the nation at the end of the 2023-24 season. Before joining the Curry staff, Russell spent two seasons with the Crimson Hockey Club as a skills coach and U16 head coach.

As a student-athlete, Russell was a member of the Norwich University Men’s Ice Hockey program for four seasons. Russell registered 54 career points with 35 goals and 19 assists in 95 career games. Rusell and the Cadets made three trips to the NCAA Division III Men’s Ice Hockey Championship Tournament, and won the program’s fourth National Championship during his senior season in 2017. Russell led the Cadets in goals as a junior and helped Norwich to a pair of East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) East Championships (2014, 2015) and a New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) Title in 2017. Russell was a two-time NEHC All-Academic Team selection, and earned NEHC Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors. Russell graduated from Norwich in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in Communications.

Rocky Thompson, joins the Flyers after spending the 2020-21 season as an Associate Coach for the San Jose Sharks under Bob Boughner’s staff.

Prior to joining the Sharks, Thompson was the Head Coach of the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League for three seasons from 2017-20. He compiled a 113-71-29 record in 213 regular season games and a 12-13 mark in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

He had his best season behind the bench in 2018-19, when he went 44-22-10 in the regular season and led the Wolves to the Calder Cup Finals.

Thompson also served as an Assistant Coach in the Edmonton Oilers organization for five seasons. He spent four seasons with the club’s AHL affiliate, the Oklahoma City Barons, from 2010-14 before moving on the following season to the Oilers in 2014-15.

Thompson earned his first head coaching position in the Ontario Hockey League with the Windsor Spitfires from 2015-17. He recorded a mark of 81-40-15 in 136 games.

A native of Calgary, Alberta, Thompson played 10 seasons of professional hockey, which included 25 games in the National Hockey League with the Flames (1997-99) and Florida Panthers (2000-02).

He is a veteran of 566 games over parts of 10 seasons in the AHL with the Saint John Flames (1995-00), Louisville Panthers (1999-01), Hershey Bears (2001-02), San Antonio Rampage (2002-03), Toronto Roadrunners (2003-04), Edmonton Roadrunners (2004-05) and Peoria Rivermen (2005-07).

Thompson was drafted by the Flames in the third round (72nd overall) of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft.

Chi-Yin grew up in Livingston, NJ and began playing hockey at the age of 13. He played high school hockey and then college roller hockey for Northeastern University. In 2010, he began his coaching career as the assistant coach of the ACHA Men’s team until he moved to California. In 2017, he became a Hockey Director in Oakland, where he continued to grow the game by starting a street hockey program in Chinatown. Most recently, Chi-Yin was the General Manager of the Minnesota Whitecaps of the Premier Hockey Federation, before the women’s league was acquired. 

Chi-Yin is very active in USA Hockey events, participating in Regional Camps, District Selection Camps, and National Camps. He has also been a Coach Developer in the Coaching Education Program since 2020. Tse joined the Carnegie Initiative as a Board Member in the United States in June 2020. The CI is committed to ensure that hockey is inclusive, supportive, and welcoming to all.

He is now the Director of Hockey Operations in Tulsa, where he plans to continue to grow hockey in the community, focusing on street hockey, girl’s, and women’s hockey programs. He is committed to making sure the game is inclusive and that every player gets a chance to participate. 

Seth will be returning to the ACHA for the Niagara University Purple Eagles Men’s Division 1 as an assistant coach, after a season coaching in the NCAA.” 

Van Voorhis coached last season with Hilbert College’s  NCAA Division III Women’s Hockey team as an Assistant Coach in their inaugural 2022-23 season. His positive energy and impressive work ethic was beneficial for the first year program.

Seth brings 13 years of hockey coaching experience with stops at both the collegiate and high school levels.

Van Voorhis was the associate head coach for the University at Buffalo men’s ACHA D1 program for three seasons.

Previously he coached with West Seneca East High School, Orchard Park High School, the Southtowns Stars, Dippin’ Dots youth hockey, and the Center State Stampede. Additionally, he was the video replay coordinator for Colgate University’s men’s and women’s hockey program.

Claude Vilgrain is currently a game analysis consultant with Play by Play Hockey and the Co-Owner of Greenice Canada, a synthetic ice company where sustainability and performance meet.

Vilgrain has more than 14 years of coaching experience across various levels of hockey from U15 to the Junior Level and now focuses on skills development. He is a committee member for the Hockey Alberta Diversity & Inclusion committee and continues to be involved in different charities with the NHLPA.

As a player, he has over 15 years of professional hockey playing experience having played in 89 career NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks, New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers. He participated in the 1988 Calgary Olympics and won two Spengler Cups for Team Canada in 1995 and 1996.

Before his playing and coaching career, Vilgrain attended the University of Moncton for Business Management. He currently resides in Calgary Alberta with his wife and has two children.

The Vegas Golden Knights have named Joel Ward an assistant coach under Bruce Cassidy.

Ward heads to Vegas after spending the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the Golden Knights’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. He helped Henderson to a combined record of 89-79-4-7 and a first-place finish in the Pacific Division in 2020-21.

In an NHL career that spanned 11 seasons, Ward developed a reputation as a reliable two-way forward. In the 2009-10 season with the Predators, Nashville was 21-3-2 when Ward had a point. He had two 20-goal seasons: One with the Capitals in 2013-14 and one with the Sharks in 2015-16. Throughout his career he played in a total of 726 games for Minnesota, Nashville, Washington and San Jose. He was also selected to represent Canada at the 2014 IIHF World Championship, where he notched nine points (6G, 3A) in eight games played.

Ward’s playing career included games played in the NHL, AHL, and WCHL, as well as Canadian university hockey and the Ontario Hockey League. Ward was named the CIS Most Valuable Player in 2005 and the Most Sportsmanlike Player in consecutive years in 2004 and 2005.

Charles Williams is the Director of Community Hockey Development/Goaltending Coach for the Jacksonville Icemen. Overseeing the development of goaltenders at both the professional and youth levels.

Charles is responsible for implementing growing the game initiatives in North Florida, working with schools, non-profits, and youth teams to organize events introducing the game of hockey to local youth, while promoting both the Icemen and Community First Igloo brand across the region. Charles works with community leaders and groups to gain support with these initiatives. He will also serve as a youth hockey coach at the Community First Igloo with a special focus on growth, development and retention of first-time players and goaltenders.

Charles holds a Master’s degree in Sports Administration from Canisius College and resides in Jacksonville Florida with his wife Camille, his daughter Kodi, and their dog Layla.

Perry Wilson was born on June 23rd, 1960 in Truro Nova Scotia and moved to Ontario in 1970. He graduated from Forster Secondary School in 1978 and started working at the Chrysler Corporation in 1979. Following his passion for hockey, he started coaching the varsity Women’s team at the University of Windsor in 1998. In 2008, he retired from his job at Chrysler to pursue a career in hockey and in 2009, he attended the very first Goaltending Coach Program of Excellence. In 2010, he won the first of 5 gold medals with the U18, U22 and the Senior Women’s programs and in 2012, he was on the staff for two World titles. He was invited to start the development process in New Zealand in 2013 and after 2 months of development, he began working with their National teams. In 2017, he realized his dream was to work with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League as the team’s goaltending coach. In 2018, he moved over to coach the Men’s U17 program with Hockey Canada.

Perry continues to help develop goalies in the Windsor area while also working with A-21 prep school. He has two daughters and 4 grandsons!