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

Emailtyler@sandiegosabershockey.com

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

Front Office

JAMES ALAMI

COO, ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

Mr. Alami has an extensive background in the sports industry but first cut his teeth in the sports world as a nationally ranked bodybuilder, then as a semi-pro football player. Mr. Alami has a Bachelor of Science, Business Management and Marketing from Penn State University, with a Minor in Energy Business and Finance, and a 2nd Minor in Entrepreneurship. He then pursued a Master of Science, in Sport Management from the University of Florida, specializing in High-Performance Coaching. Along with his strong corporate background in the pro and collegiate sports, retail, and fitness industries, Mr. Alami has sat on a number of different advisory boards including UC Riverside, University of Florida, and Penn State University.

KIM GOUGH

CMO, EVENTS DIRECTOR

Ms. Gough has a Bachelor of Science degree, with an emphasis in Sports Psychology and Behavior from Colorado State University. Ms. Gough spent 15 years early in her career working with amateur and professional athletes, improving both their physical and athletic development, including mental wellness. Ms. Gough also has an extensive corporate background in technology, sports, retail, and real estate development. Ms. Gough spent several years consulting for companies, providing Executive Coaching, Customer and Marketing development, Strategic Partnership, and Business Development training. Ms. Gough has worked in the corporate sector for companies like Krames, The Home Depot Corporate, Microsoft (internal strategic manager with a strategic partner), and several successful start-ups in Silicon Valley, managing large budgets and staff.

JAMES KARR

OPERATIONS, MARKETING

James Karr is a native of Fresno, CA. In 2012, James began working in junior hockey for the Fresno Monsters in the Western States Hockey League. Shortly after, James also began working in Minor League Baseball for the then; San Francisco Giants Triple-A affiliate, Fresno Grizzlies.

In 2015, James left the Fresno Grizzlies to work for the Fresno Monsters full-time as the Director of Operations before being promoted to General Manager in 2016.

After three years as General manager for the Fresno Monsters, James departed the team to take over as Director of Marketing for a strength and conditioning facility, Bullett Performance Training.

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AUSTIN ALEGRE

PUBLIC ADDRESS ANNOUNCER, OPERATIONS

Austin is a native of San Diego County where he grew up watching the San Diego Gulls and eventually the San Diego Sabers.

"I've followed hockey in San Diego since I was six years old and followed each team through thick and thin. It's an honor to now be giving back to this sport that I love so dearly and I look forward to the opportunity of working with the Sabers as Director of Gameday Operations."

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ANDREW ALEGRE

BROADCAST ANNOUNCER

RANDY HERNANDEZ

AV TECHNICIAN, MARKETING

Randy Hernandez has been involved in hockey for 20 years. Born and raised, playing as a defenseman in Fresno, CA. He found his love for the lifestyle at 8 years old and continued his youth hockey career until he left for college in San Diego at 18. Randy pursued a career as an Audio Engineer, but he has always kept his eyes open for ways to stay involved with the hockey community that he enjoys so much.

From doing the music for the Sabers in prior years to helping coach the youth players at Learn to Play every Saturday morning. He found his way back to us and has never looked back.

Initially brought on as a Marketing Coordinator, Randy has since expanded his tasks by bringing in his audio background to help with the HockeyTV streaming and production. He also spends a lot of his time assisting Coach DiCicco with coaching the team and making sure they’re becoming the best players they can be.

“Hockey has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my life, and it makes me excited to see these young men live this dream”

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GREG SILLER

PHOTOGRAPHER

JENNIFER GEHRINGER

ADMINISTRATOR