Jets Coaching Staff 2012-2013 Season « Johnstown Jets Amateur Hockey

Jets Coaching Staff 2012-2013 Season

Tyler Maluchnik
Head Coach, Midget U-18 Team
tylermaluchnik@gmail.com

Tyler is coming to the Jets program with 25 years of hockey experience and 10+ years of coaching experience. He started out playing youth hockey in Johnstown until 1995, where he then started playing AAA hockey with the Pittsburgh Pythons select team. Then moving on to play for the Pittsburgh Amateur Penguins AAA team, which was selected to play in the Kamloops, B.C. International Tournament which is considered to be the best tournament in the world for the ages of 14 and 15, choosing only 4 teams respectively from Canada, Europe, and the United States to attend.

After a great career at the AAA level, Tyler then moved on to the Junior hockey ranks to play for the Somerset Chill junior hockey club of the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League. After two years with the Chill, Tyler played for the Indiana Thunder of the CHL. As their captain, he led the team in points, which earned him the opportunity to play in the CHL All Star Game.

Tyler also played for the local high school of Richland. Playing 4 seasons and tallying more than 220 points for the Rams in the WPIHL, and making it to the Penguin Cup Finals in 1999/2000 season.

Instead of playing college hockey, Tyler chose to join our military, which had always been a dream of his. After basic training and Advanced Individual Training (AIT), Tyler became a crew chief for AH-64 Apache helicopters. After just one year, Tyler became a battalion physical training instructor which was tasked with directing physical training for roughly 170 soldiers.

Tyler brings a disciplined coaching style to hockey and plans on bringing state and national championships back to his home town.

Matt Cavrak
Head Coach – Bantam Team

mcavrak@atlanticbb.net

Matt is a Pittsburgh native that gained a lot of experience during his playing days as a member of the Pittsburgh Junior Penguins AAA program from the PeeWee through the Midget level. During Matt’s senior season, he became a part of the very first Pittsburgh Hornets Midget team that played in the Little Caesars Amateur Hockey League and then later moved to the Michigan National Hockey League. Matt also played high school hockey as a four year varsity player at Bethel Park High School and was selected to play for Team Pittsburgh during his senior season. His AAA experience led him to a successful college playing career at Penn State in which he was part of two national runner-up teams during his four years with the Icers. Following college, Matt entered the coaching ranks spending two years at Baldwin High School. He also coached at the AAA level having stints with the Pittsburgh Hornets and Pittsburgh Junior Penguins. Upon relocating to Johnstown, Matt spent the past 8 seasons with Somerset High School including the last 6 as the Varsity Head Coach. Matt has also served as an instructor at Penn State’s summer hockey camps. Matt resides in Johnstown, PA

Mickey M cQuillan

Assistant Coach – Bantam Team

Mickey has been playing hockey since he was 5 years old. He comes from a long line of hockey brothers and nephews. He played hockey at Westmont from 1981-1985 for Charlie Haigins and was part of the State semifinal team in 1982. Mickey played at Penn State University in 1986 and 1987 as part of Penn State’s Division 1 club team, and coincidentally, at the same university that Head Coach Matt Cavrak played at. Mickey has coached in several organizations, including Mite B and Mite A Major with the CCSHL, Pee Wee AA for two successive years with the Pittsburgh Huskies with Adam and Nicholas winning a championship at the Pee Wee AA level in 2010 with my son Nicholas. “It was the greatest experience of my life beating the Predator’s in the championship game. “Mickey continues to be involved in scholastic hockey within the Westmont Hilltop School District where he coached from 1992 to 1995. He also coached the Westmont Laurel Mountain team this past year as well as assisting the freshman and varsity team for the 2011-2012 season. He also ran the fun Friday program for Westmont Hilltop, an elementary programfor teaching skills and drills and interesting kids in the sport. His brother Art has been the head coach at Westmont since 1988,bringing stability and a unique dynamic to the school districtMickey has a more famous side. He was the little child in the 1977 film Slapshot that was filmed in his house with Emmett Walsh and Paul Newman as he played Dickie Dunn’s son, the sportswriter that was responsible for stirring up the rumor of the sale of the team to Florida. Remember Dickie Dunn and Reg Dunlop?

Mickey also continues to play hockey at age 45 in the adult league at planet ice as he thoroughly enjoys playing and teaching kids.

Joe Tallari
Head Coach – PeeWee Blue Team
joetallari@hotmail.com

Tallari play NCAA Division I college hockey for the Niagara Purple Eagles from 2000-2004. While playing for the Purple Eagles, he won player of the year in 2003 as the top scorer and was a Top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s best player. He served as team captain from 2002 through 2004. He was named to the 1st and 2nd All-CHA team in 2003 and 2004 and is a member of the Niagara Purple Eagles 100 Point Club. In 2012, Joe was inducted into the Niagara University Athletic Hall of Fame.

Following his college career, Joe spent 6 seasons playing professional hockey. From 2004-2010, Joe played in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), American Hockey League (AHL), and in Europe. Tallari played 2 seasons for the Johnstown Chiefs and during that time was called up on many occasions to the AHL to play for the Cleveland Barons and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. In the summer of 2005, Joe signed a contract with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. The deal earned him the opportunity to attend the training camp for the NHL’s New York Islanders. In 2006, he was given another AHL opportunity as he attended the Milwaukee Admirals’ training camp. He eventually signed and played for the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL for the 2006-2007 season. From there, Tallari took his game over to Europe to play in Manchester, England for the Manchester Phoenix of the British Elite League. Joe was named captain and had a very successful year while scoring 55 goals and 93 points in 59 games which earned him the “Best Newcomer” award at the year end league banquet and was also named a 1st team All-Star. In 2007-2008, Joe moved on to play in Italy once again having a great season, but none could match the 2009-2010 season in Italy in which his team went on to win the league championship.

Craig Cassick

Assistant Coach – PeeWee Blue Team

ccassick@gmail.com
Craig grew up playing youth hockey in Johnstown. Mostly notably He played for Johnstown High school where he served as the assistant captain for three years. In his senior season he was named team captain and lead the team not only in points but to the LMHL championship during the 2011-2012 season. He also won the best new defensemen award in 05-06, the Lori Bearjar award in 10-11, the pride and tradition award in 11-12 and the Brad Wess memorial Scholarship in 2012. He also played for the Indiana Chiefs and won a PAHL championship. For the past 2 years Craig has played for the Jets U18 team and for the past 3 years he has played for the Jets tournament team. Craig is no stranger to what it means and takes to be a Jet.

Nick Mish
Head Coach – PeeWee White Team
nick.l.mish@gmail.com
Nick Mish was born and raised in Johnstown, Pa.He played travel hockey out of Pittsburgh until leaving when he was 15 to move to British Columbia. While in Canada he played Junior hockey before moving back to Pa. He was drafted into the Ontario hockey league and played one season for the Erie Otters and won the division championship. Nick has coached high school hockey while attending IUP and helped with many goaltender school throughout Pennsylvania and Canada.