Player Instructors

Steve Ryan (Co-Director)

Steve is originally from Stellarton, Nova Scotia and currently coaches in the Antigonish Minor Hockey Association. He has 15 years of hockey school experience and has coached at the Junior and High School level. Steve is also an Antigonish Bulldog Junior A and Holderness Prep School (New Hampshire) alumni. He does an excellent job of identifying player’s individual weakness, then taking a tactical solution based approach, resulting in accelerated development for those he coaches.

Dave Stewart (Co-Director)

Dave is from Antigonish, Nova Scotia and is a current assistant coach with St.F.X. University X-Men Hockey. Heavily involved in the Antigonish Minor Hockey Association, he has 15 years of hockey school experience. A former minor professional player for 7 years, he is also a St.F.X. University X-Men and Antigonish Bulldog Junior A alumni. His passion for the game is the foundation for an approach that motivates his players to strive to reach the next level.

Brad Peddle

Brad Peddle from St. John’s, Newfoundland just completed his 10th season as head coach of the St. FX X-Men hockey team. Brad played with St.FX from 1995-1999 while continuing his playing career professionally spending time in the East Coast Hockey League as well as in Europe. He was named an assistant coach for Team Canada for the 2013 World University Games. Brad applies his vast hockey knowledge and education degree on ice to fundamental skill development sessions with all groups and ages throughout minor hockey and in the spring and summer months during his development camps.

Bernie Gillis

Bernie is from Antigonish, Nova Scotia and is the current head coach of the Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional High School. Bernie has over 35 years of hockey school coaching experience and continues to demonstrate a patient and technical approach to teaching the game.

A.J. MacLean

A.J is from Antigonish, Nova Scotia and is a current assistant coach for the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League. He has 9 years minor pro hockey playing experience and is former member of the Halifax Moosehead of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. A.J. is very enthusiastic about the game and brings this energy onto the ice all of the time.

Mike Stewart

Mike is from Antigonish, Nova Scotia and is Hockey Canada Level 2 Certified. His 24 years of coaching experience has resulted in him bringing an innovative approach to skill development in both the Antigonish Minor Hockey Association and other development programs. His knowledge and intensity bring him instant respect with his players, as evident in his ability to take their game to new heights.

Jerome Stewart

Jerome is from Antigonish, Nova Scotia and is a Certified Power Skating Instructor with Skate Canada. He has 12 years of hockey school experience and does an outstanding job with young athletes in the Antigonish Minor Hockey Association due to his great ability to interact with young athletes and his excitement in seeing their improvements.

Brian Smith

Brian is from Antigonish, Nova Scotia and is a Certified Power Skating instructor with Skate Canada. He has 15 years of hockey coaching experience and works with the StFX women’s hockey team as a skating instructor. His technical and innovative skating instruction allow him to get the players he coaches excited about becoming better skaters as he challenges them to improve on a daily basis.

Craig MacDonald

Craig is from Antigonish, Nova Scotia and has recently finished up on an extensive professional hockey career that has seen him play in the NHL, AHL and German Professional Hockey Leagues. He has used this experience to become a valuable asset to Antigonish Minor Hockey System where he works enthusiastically with the female program and his patient, knowledgeable approach to skill development has had an immediate impact on the players.

Sylvia (Ryan) Gappa

Sylvia is from Stellarton, Nova Scotia and is a former Nova Scotia Canada Games player who took her trade to Middlebury College where she played four years, and helped lead her team to four National Titles. She moved into the coaching ranks after college and has spent 15 years at Berkshire School in Massachusetts where her focus on skill development on and off the ice has allowed girls that went through her program to make Olympic and National teams in both Canada and the United States.

Kyle MacDonald

Kyle is from Inverness, Nova Scotia played four season in the Maritime Jr. A Hockey League and four for the University of Waterloo Warriors (CIS. Kyle began his coaching career as an assistant coach with the Nova Major Bantams and just finished a season as head coach where they won both the Nova Scotia Major Bantam Provincials as well as the Atlantic Championships. He has experience teaching the game to youth having worked a variety of hockey camps in Ontario and Cape Breton and applies this knowledge to improving each player’s individual skills which brings them team success.

Goalie Instructors

Aaron Van Steinburg

Aaron grew up and played his hockey in British Colombia. A former AAA goaltender and Major Jr prospect, Aaron has since turned his focus towards the development of goalies of all ages and levels. Over the past 8 years he has helped develop goaltenders of all ages and skill levels from several associations. His strengths as a goalie instructor lie in his knowledge of current goaltending techniques, the diagnoses and correction of bad habits and underdeveloped skills. All goalies working with Aaron can expect to work very hard with intense focus on fundamentals such as efficient crease movement, correct save selection, and appropriate positioning. Skill development of goaltenders and helping them build a passion for the position are Aaron's top priorities.