Originally from Montreal, John played his college hockey career at the University of Maine and the University of Southern Maine.
John was an assistant coach with the Chicago Freeze of the North American Hockey League from 1996-1998. In 1996 and 1997 John was the Head Coach of the Maine All State Juniors and coached the team in the Hannige Junior cup in Stockholm, Sweden. In 1997, John was also the Head Coach for the Midwest Selects (Best 16-18 year old players in the Midwest) in the Czech Challenge Cup in Prague, Czech Republic.
John works with several NHL Agents, NCAA, CHL and US prep school scouting staffs. John has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and is currently the President and Co-Founder of Rhombus Services a nationwide installation & service company based in Philadelphia.
Travis Howe has served as the Head Coach of the Syracuse Stars Jr. A team (Syracuse, NY) which played both in the EJHL (Eastern Junior Hockey League) and the OPJHL (Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League). He formally was the Coaching Coordinator for the Flyers Youth Hockey Club and was the Hockey Director at the Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ which is the practice facility for the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers and AHL's Philadelphia Phantoms. He has also run coaches workshops for USA Hockey. Travis has spent many hours scouting with his father Mark Howe (who is the Director of Pro Scouting for the Detroit Red Wings). Travis was a former youth hockey player for the Little Caesars & Compuware Midget AAA organizations.
He is the grandson of Gordie Howe, the son of Mark Howe (former NHL player), and the nephew of Marty Howe (former NHL player and Chicago Wolves Asst. Coach of AHL). Travis currently resides in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
Joe Templin - Vice President of Selects Hockey/Co-Founder
Joe grew up in Lebanon, PA and played his youth hockey as a goaltender in the Hershey Junior Bears organization through Midgets. He joined the University of Scranton Royals varsity hockey team in 1994 while pursuing a Bachelor's of Science degree in Electrical Engineering (1998).
Joe began his coaching career in 1999 with Father Judge (Philadelphia, PA) working with their Jr. Varsity program. In 2001, he started coaching with the Flyers Youth organization (NJ) where he coached at the Bantam level and also served as the goaltending instructor for the entire organization.
As a co-founder of Selects Sports Management, Joe has coached with the organization since 2003, working with our top East and West Coast Selects Spring teams.
He currently serves as the Vice President along with head scout of Selects Hockey and works closely with numerous NCAA, NHL, USHL and CHL programs providing player scouting and evaluation input. Joe currently resides in Mount Laurel, NJ.
Travis Bezio, CPA is originally from Milton, Vermont, played collegiate hockey for the University of Southern Maine in Portland, Maine. Travis finished his playing career at USM setting nearly every offensive scoring record in school history, many that still stand today. In 2007, Travis was the fifth ice hockey player in school history inducted into the University of Southern Maine athletic Hall of Fame. Following graduation, Travis played a season in Lulea, Sweden.
Following his playing career, Travis was the head coach at class A South Portland High School in Maine, leading his team to new victory records each of his three seasons there. Travis a was a multiple time coach of the year nominee in the Maine Headmasters Association.
Additionally, Travis is a veteran instructor at numerous junior hockey schools and camps.
Steve Dubinsky - Local Training Center Hockey Director
After a career at Clarkson University that saw him score 152 points in 140 collegiate games, Steve went on to play 10 seasons in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues.
Originally from Montreal, Quebec, Steve is currently the director of the Glacier Hockey Zone, Chicago's premier year round hockey skills training facility. Steve is also the coaching director of the Cougars youth hockey organization, a nationally recognized youth hockey program based in Chicago.
Matt Kaplan founded the Cougars (now Cougars Selects) spring program in Chicago as a way to give dedicated players a unique and positive experience. Matt has been involved in upper level hockey as both a player and coach for nearly 40 years. Matt recently served as an assistant coach for the Lake Forest Academy Varsity hockey team in Lake Forest, Illinois.
Mitch Larnerd - International Training Centers Director
Mitch Larnerd currently resides in West Berlin, New Jersey. Mitch is the International Director of Selects Training Programs and head coach of the '96 ECS-O team.
Mitch coached for seven years with the Flyers Youth Program and has coached at the Midget through PW. Mitch has coached Tier 1 with Team Comcast as a Head Coach, for the 2009-2010 season. Mitch is currently the asst. coach for the Philadelphia Revolution JR A (EJHL) team. Mitch was a coach for the East Coast Selects '93 team.
Previously, Mitch worked for four years under Vladislav Tretiak as a Head Goalie Instructor. Mitch currently holds a level 4 coaching certification with USA Hockey.
During Mitch's playing years, he was a goalie and played Tier I Hockey for the Philadelphia Little Flyers and Jr. Flyers Jr. B. (Squirt-Jr. B). Mitch participated in the USA Hockey Select 16 camp and program, and played in Hockey Night in Boston (#2 ranked goaltender in Tourney). Mitch then went on to play Junior A in the Skaskatuan Junior A League. Mitch then played for Nichols College and attended the camp for the Detroit Vipers of the old IHL.
Kathy Pippy is the director of the Selects Hockey Girls program. She has an extensive background in event coordination and planning for high-level corporate, not-for-profit, government clients and sporting events.
Kathy was instrumental in growing elite level girls� hockey in Pittsburgh -- organizing and managing initially Team Pittsburgh and now the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Girls program. She created and orchestrated the Thanksgiving USA Girls Tournament into one of the nation's largest Winter girls' events.
A member of the D-1 swimming and diving team in college, Kathy understands the value and importance of girls participating in competitive sports. In 2007, she was awarded the annual �Women in Sports� award by the Pittsburgh Girls� Foundation for her efforts in providing ice hockey opportunities for young girls.
Kathy resides in Moon Township, Pennsylvania with her husband, Senator John Pippy and their daughter, Katelyn who plays goalie for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite u19 and will attend Cornell University in the fall of 2011.
Sasha Ristic, a Mechanical Engineer from Lawrence Technological University with a Masters in Administration from Central Michigan University, found his true calling in life by becoming a hockey tournament director. He has been the tournament director of the Warrior AAA Fall Invitational since the onset and has grown that tournament from 32 teams to 172 teams this past season.
Sasha became the Detroit Branch Manager of the Cougars Hockey program in 2009. He started helping the Selects organization with a few of their tournaments in 2009. He has two boys in hockey and a third that will join them soon. His oldest son plays for the 97 Little Caesars team and has since his first Mite season.
Michael Bjorkung - GM & Director of Sweden Selects tours & Camps
Michael is program director of Europe Selects and General Manager of Sweden Selects team�s and camps,
he is the head coach of the Sweden Selects- �99 & �97 team.
Michael is the Owner and President of BC Investment Group in Sweden, an finance & insurance consulting firm that works with private-companys and organizations in Europe.
Michael currently lives in �lvsj� with his fiancee Annethe and he�s two children, Ellen and Victor.
Jamie Hale currently resides in Whitby, Ontario. Jamie has an extensive background in Hospitality management, sales, customer service and logistics and has traveled extensively.
Jamie has participated in many of the tours conducted through Selects Hockey as a parent of a '93 player. Jamie, VP of Selects Sports Tours joined the Selects Sports Management Tour Division in July of 2009.
Sean oversees and manages the Player Management division for Selects Sports Management, Inc. which includes both the Selects Boys and Girls teams in North America and Europe, Selects Hockey Academy, and Selects Sports Advisors.
Prior to joining Selects Sports Management, Inc. full-time in January 2011, Sean owned Capital Sports Advisors from 2009 � 2010. From 2003 � 2009, Sean was the President and Co-Founder of the Portland Jr. Pirates organization in Maine. His responsibilities included overseeing organization, working with the Junior Pirates players on college placement, youth team skill development, and coaching the Junior A and B teams. Sean served as the U.S. Scout for the NHL�s Florida Panthers from 1999 - 2003.
Sean played college hockey at NCAA Division III New England College in Henniker, NH, where he remains one of the school�s all-time leading scorers. Prior to college, Sean played one season with the Junior Bruins of the EJHL. After college, Sean went on to play one season professionally in Germany for EC Pfaffenhofen. After playing professionally in Europe, Sean attended the Massachusetts School of Law in Andover, MA, graduating in 2002.
Gina Zabilansky is originally from Lebanon, NH and graduated from Marist College with a BS in Business Marketing. She played collegiate lacrosse where she earned many accolades including Division 1 All-MAAC Team for defense.
After college, Gina and her husband moved to Utah where she oversaw marketing of one of the largest homebuilders in the state and had the privilege to work on a house with Extreme Makeover Home Edition.
She relocated to Vermont to live closer to family. Gina works out of the Essex Junction, Vermont office and has been a part of the Selects Sports Management Tour Division (Selects Sports Tours) since October of 2009.
Jason Mitchell is currently the managing partner for Bezio & Mitchell, LLC, a Consulting firm in Burlington, Vermont. Jason, originally from South Burlington, Vermont, currently resides in Essex Junction.
Jason graduated from Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts with a Business and Accounting degree in 2003. Upon graduation, Jason worked for an accounting firm in Burlington, Vermont while obtaining his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license.
Jason currently works in the Selects Sports Management office in Essex Junction, Vermont, where he performs Controller and HR Manager functions.
Krista graduated from St. Michaels College with a BA in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting, and currently resides in Williston, Vermont.
Krista has been a board member at CSB Hockey; where she was the director of game scheduling for teams throughout the state of Vermont, and helped run state championship tournaments. She was co-founder of the Vermont Junior Cats, a spring hockey program for Vermont hockey players.
Krista was instrumental in helping start the Green Mountain Glades Youth Program. In their fifth year, the Glades have become one of the most respected youth hockey programs in New England. Krista expanded her scheduling throughout New England and Canada for all Glades youth teams.
Krista joined Selects Sports Management in March of 2009.
Kristen Hoefel, originally from Williston, Vermont, currently resides in Winooski, Vermont. Kristen graduated from CVU High School in 2005 and attended Castleton State College.
Kristen has worked in the accounting department in the Selects Sports Management office in Essex Junction, Vermont since September of 2008.
Al Wozney - National Director Canadian Training Centers
Al has 29years experience as a coach from the initiation levels right up to the Midget AAA level and has had the privilege of playing and coaching at several championship levels. Some of notable accomplishments include:
� Inducted into BC Hockey Hall of Fame as a member of the only BC Team to ever win the Air Canada Cup (National Midget Championship).
� Coached the Pee Wee AAA Provincial and Atlantic Champions (Avalon Minor Hockey Association, St. John's Newfoundland)
� Coached and developed several Newfoundland players that have gone on to play in the QMJHL, OHL, BCHL, NCAA and NHL.
Director of Coach and Player Development Richmond Minor Hockey Association.
Director of Hockey Pacific Stars Hockey Academy, Beijing China
Mike Coleman started Great Lakes Hockey.Com fall of 2008 during the toughest economic times in his lifetime. After working 23 years as a draftsman and 3d Auto Cad designer for the automotive industry, Mike quit the business and spent his full time developing his tournaments. From the Boo in the Soo to Hockey Fights Cancer, he has created a fun atmosphere for the players, coaches and parents to enjoy a great weekend of hockey. When it comes to hockey, Mike coaches, refs, plays (forward, defense, and goalie), and runs tourneys with such love and compassion for the sport, he has created something special. His goal is to spread his love for the game to as many people he can. We are very pleased Mike has joined forces with Selects Hockey. Through continuous improvement and hard work, Great Lakes Hockey.Com and Selects Hockey now offers top notch hockey tournaments and training centers for all ages, boys and girls at every skill level.
Outside of hockey, Mike and his wife, Kelly has 4 children: Blake (98), Reilly (01), Emma (05), and Isabella (07). Born in Warren, Michigan in 1967 he is the youngest of three with two sisters. His passion for hockey started in 1973 in the beginner program at Warren Ice Arena. Mike loves fishing and is a multi-instrument musician playing guitar and piano since the age of 10.
