//Our Staff
//Coaching Testimonials
Nevio D'Alessandro
Drayton Valley Thunder - AJHL
This past season I had the pleasure of playing for Coach Tyler of the San Diego Sabres. He has a lot passion for the game and commitment to helping us improve as players on the ice and as humans off the ice. He emphasized everyday the importance of teamwork and character but the most important thing was becoming a family. We were a very tight-knit group and any problem you had on the ice or in life you were able to go see him and he would always be there to listen and help you out. Under Coach Tyler’s guidance, I was able to develop my skills and confidence as a player, and I attribute much of my success to his coaching. He consistently challenged and pushed us to work harder and strive for excellence in every game and practice. Playing for him was an unforgettable experience, and I am grateful for the impact he has had on my life both on and off the ice.
Lucas Lundy
Arizona State University / Coquitlam Express BCHL / San Diego Sabres USPHL
I had a great experience playing for Tyler. In my 4 years of junior hockey from Jr b to bchl, to usphl. Tyler was my favourite coach. He did a great job all around, from running the bench, to practicing our systems and making sure we’re ready for each team we played. It was also great off the ice and he got along with the guys really well. He also put me in contact with a ton of schools for next year and has helped me a lot on and off the ice all year. Overall he helped make my last year of junior hockey into a great and unforgettable experience.
Coaching staff
Tyler Casillo
- GM & HC Premier & Elite
- Tylercasillo@atlantamadhatters.com
- (716) 352-0722
Tyler Casillo, a Buffalo, NY native grew up playing hockey for Cheektowaga Warriors before moving on to play for the Buffalo Regals and Niagara Whalers of the GOJHL. After a successful junior career, Tyler went on to play at Erie College before getting into coaching in his early twenties. In Tyler's first year of coaching, Tyler guided his u18 team to a sectional final and was able to help a number of his players advance into the junior ranks. Due to the work Tyler did in his first year coaching, Tyler was offered the opportunity to take the head coaching job of his former junior team, the Buffalo Jr. Regals of the GOJHL. In Tyler's first year as the coach the Buffalo Jr. Regals, Tyler guided his team the best record in franchise history, and was named a finalist for coach of the year. In addition to having a successful record, Tyler is most proud of the 14 NCAA commitments that he was able to help his player reciceve while playing for him that season. After a successful campaign with Jr. Regals organization, Tyler elected to take his coaching talents to the sunny state of California where he took the bench for San Diego Sabres of the USPHL. Once again, Tyler was able to set a franchise record for wins by taking a team that had only 15 wins in the previous year to a 33-11-2 record, as well as a franchise first ever playoff experience. Today, Tyler is the associate head coach of the Atlanta Madhatters premier and elite teams as well as serves as a scout for multiple Tier 2 junior organizations.
Sean Bearnhardt
- Director of Hockey Operations
- sbernhardt@atlantamadhatters.com
- (770) 543 -9218
Sean Bearnhard, a native of Webster, NY played locally in the Rochester, NY area before taking his talents to the NCAA D3 level at Suny Morrisville. After one season at Suny Morrisville, Sean elected to move to the greater Atlanta area to attend Kennesaw State University where he played hockey for their ACHA D1 club team. After Sean concluded his playing career, Sean took over as the head coach of Kennesaw State’s hockey team where he was the head coach for five seasons. Thereafter, Sean then moved on to coaching at the Atlanta Madhatters Junior Program where he was the elite head coach and assistant premier coach. Today, Sean is a Level 5 USA Hockey coach with over 14 years total coaching and development and serves as the director of hockey operations and assitant coach for Madhatters program.
Paul Flache
- Player Development Coach
- Pflache@atlantamadhatters.com
- (770) 558-7704
Paul Flache, a Peterborough, Ontario native has coaching and player development experience gained through over a decade of operating elite training facilities and coaching at various levels of the game. Paul grew up playing junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League with the Brampton Battalion from 99-02 during which he was drafted to the NHL by the Edmonton Oilers (2002). Paul signed his first NHL contract with the Atlanta Thrashers and began his professional career in 2002. Over a 10 year span , Paul spent seasons in the AHL, ECHL and Germany. Upon retirement, Pauls coaching career began in 2012 with the TPH Thunder Program where he worked with the U16 and U18 teams developing and advancing student athletes to the next level as well as making multiple national championship appearances. Paul then served as the associate head coach of the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League before returning back to Atlanta to take over Madhatters junior program. Today, Paul serves as the U18 head coach and program skills/video coach of the Ice Mavericks AAA program, but remain very a part of the Madhatters coaching staff as the program's player development coach.
Brett Lester
- Program Strength & Conditioning Coach
Brett Lester, a Rochester, NY native grew up playing for the Rochester Americans AAA organization and was a USA Hockey Select 17 development player before going on to play for Boston Jr. Bruins, Lowell Lock Monsters and New England Huskies of the EJHL. Once Brett's junior career concluded, Brett moved to greater Atlanta where he attended Kennesaw State University where he won an ACHA National Championship. After graduating Kennesaw State University with a degree in exercise science, Brett went on to work as physical therapy tech and became a certified sports performance coach as well as certified vertimax trainer. In addition to becoming a top sports performance trainer in the greater Atlanta area, Brett has served as the associate head coach Kennesaw State University ACHA team for four seasons as well as the director of junior hockey for the Atlanta Madhatters during their inaugural season. Today, Brett works for Prosper Athlete where he serves as the strength and conditioning for the Ice Mavericks Program.
Gordon MacFarlane
- Program Consultant - Mental Performance Coach
Coach MacFarlane is a certified human behavior specialist, NHL mental performance coach, international best-selling author, and former professional hockey player. Learn more about Coach MacFarlane at www.performancemindsetcoach.com
TBA
- Equipment Manager
TBA
- Team Trainer
Scouting Staff
Patrick Metzger
- United States & Canada
Eli Rivers
- United States
Aaron Wanat
- Europe & Australia
Support Staff
Karen Diffee
- Accounting
- Accounting@atlantamadhatters.com
Tracy Hotchkiss
- Billet Support
Stephen Thorpe
- Marketing Coordinator
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