Hockey Operations

TOMAS KAPUSTA

DIRECTOR, HOCKEY OPERATIONS

Tomas was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in round 5 (No.104 overall) of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, played at three Junior World Championships in 1985-87 in Finland, Canada and Czechoslovakia and played at one World Senior Championships in 1993 in Germany.

During his 20 year-long professional career, Tomas represented the Czech Republic in the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. He won the scoring title in the top Finnish League in 1994 and played on the three championship teams in the Czech Republic prior to leaving to play for Long Beach Ice Dogs in California, USA.

For the last twenty years, Tomas has coaching and developing youth hockey programs at the Junior Kings and Junior Reign organizations as well as establishing & coaching St. John Bosco High School Program. Tomas earned his BA in social science at CSULA and he received his teaching credentials at CSULA. Recently Tomas serves as a Director of Hockey Operations at Jr. Reign youth hockey club, USPHL Ontario Jr. Reign, and USPHL San Diego Sabers Junior A teams. Tomas serves as a Teacher of Record (TOR) at Excel Academy Charter School.

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DOMENICK DICICCO

General Manager

Emaildomenick@sandiegosabershockey.com

Coach DiCicco has over 25 years of hockey experience and played for Penn State where he graduated with a BS in finance. Shortly after, he took over as Head Coach for the Penn State Harrisburg hockey team where he quickly built the program into one of the top teams in the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference, which was ranked in the top 25 in the country.

Before joining the San Diego Sabers, he spent the former season building the New York Bridgemen of the Eastern Hockey League, a new program for the New Jersey Titans.

Coach DiCicco now looks forward to carrying over that winning culture to the West Coast and has designed a comprehensive development model for our athletes to pursue their academic and hockey career goals.

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Tyler Casillo

Head Coach

Coach Casillo began his journey in junior hockey by playing in the GOJHL before progressing to Junior A where he was named Assistant Captain for the Niagara Whalers. Afterward, Coach Casillo started his coaching career at the 18U level before moving to the varsity level, where he helped advance his team to a sectional final.

Shortly afterward, Coach Casillo then shifted to the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, where he was named Head Coach of the Buffalo Regals Jr.B team. While there, he led the Regals to their best record in franchise history and led the GOJHL in NCAA DIII commitments as over ten student-athletes committed to play collegiate hockey at the end of his first season.

Coach Casillo was named a finalist for Coach of the Year in 2020, thanks to his knowledge of the game, team management, and comprehensive variety of experience in junior hockey.

Coach Casillo stated that he is excited to bring his wealth of knowledge and experiences to San Diego and looks to continue developing a winning culture and focus on player advancement.

Recently, Coach Casillo was named the official Western Scout for the Maine Nordiques of the North American Hockey League.

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SCOTT HANSEN

HEAD STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH

Building champions in life through sport is Scott’s mission, and for the last 16 years, he’s helped hundreds of athletes from all sports reach their highest potential.

Prior to Resilient, Scott trained private clients at Equinox and was an educator in their Trainer curriculum for 10 years, while also working as a strength and conditioning coach at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning, which was voted the #1 Gym in America by Men’s Health. He also served as the strength and conditioning coach of the Valley Junior Warriors (Haverhill, MA) of the EHL.

Scott graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, a Certified Functional Strength Coach, and a Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certified Coach.

Scott has been coaching high school wrestling at La Costa Canyon High School for the last 4 years, and previously was the head wrestling coach for Malden Catholic High School in Malden, MA.

Scott resides in Carlsbad with his wife Shannon and, when he’s not coaching, you can probably find him at Beacon’s Beach, hiking, or watching the Patriots, Bruins, or Red Sox win championships.

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JASON MARBLE-SMITH

HEAD EQUIPMENT MANAGER

Jason “Smitty” is a native of New Mexico and has lived in the Canadian Atlantic provinces as well as Utah, Arizona, Oregon and now resides in San Diego, CA.

Jason joined the Sabers during the 2020-2021 season after taking a hiatus from sports. Previously he worked with a variety of professional sports teams in various capacities. He worked in MLB for the LA Angels Baseball as a Clubhouse Manager in the minor leagues (Pioneer League and AAA visiting Clubhouse Manager) and also at Spring Training in AZ.

He worked in the NBA for the Utah Jazz as security.

He also worked in the WSHL as a trainer/equipment manager for the Utah Valley Golden Eagles Jr B team.

Jason is excited to be back in hockey and here in Southern California.

“My heart belongs to hockey. The rink is where I have always wanted to be. It is my zen place. It is where I feel most comfortable.”

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Tal S. David, M.D.

Team Physician

Tal S. David, M.D. is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in arthroscopic and sports medicine surgery and is certified in both Orthopedic Surgery and Orthopedic Sports Medicine. He practices in San Diego, CA as part of the Synergy Specialists Medical Group and the San Diego Stem Cell Treatment Center.

He has been involved in the care of the injured athlete for 15 years and has served on the medical staff of various professional sports teams including more than 10 years as an NFL team physician.

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Dr. Natasha Hastings

Physical Therapist

Dr. Natasha Hastings of Athletic Edge has 9 years experience as a Doctor of Physical Therapy, with a 15+ year history of sports involvement. She specializes in orthopedic & sports rehab, combined with strength and conditioning coaching.

WAYNE KOSIOR

DIRECTOR OF CANADIAN SCOUTING

Wayne has over 25 years of in-depth experience in a variety of hockey operations, coaching & scouting roles that have taken him across North America and around the World.

In addition to leading the San Diego Sabers scouting efforts in Canada, Wayne is also the Western Canada Scout for the 4-time USHL Clark Cup Championship Des Moines Buccaneers. Prior to that, Wayne was Western Canada Scout for the USHL Chicago Steel where he was part of the 2017 Clark Cup Championship in Chicago.

Wayne has a unique and in-depth understanding of both USA Hockey & Hockey Canada, along with the plethora of unique rules & regulations that oversee the movement of players between the two countries. This, combined with his wide network of hockey contacts at the USHL, NCAA, CHL & Pro level makes Wayne a valuable resource for not only identifying elite hockey players for the Sabers but also for helping Sabers players advance and move on to a higher level of hockey - and education.

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Mason Riley

New Jersey/Philadelphia Scout

Mason comes to the Sabers scouting staff with a big focus on goaltending recruiting. Mason ended his playing career at the University of New England NCAA DIII and began goal coaching in the Philadelphia/South Jersey area along with the now-defunct Maine Eclipse.

MICHAEL MCKNIGHT

DIRECTOR, FACILITY OPERATIONS