OHL Flint Firebirds

Firebirds Announce Saverio Posa as Video & Assistant Coach, Jerry Vangilder as Strength & Conditioning Coach

Published on August 29, 2022 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


Flint, Mich. - The Flint Firebirds announced today the hiring of Video & Assistant Coach Saverio Posa and Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Jerry Vangilder.

Saverio Posa makes his return to the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) having played 232 games in the league from 2009-13, including spending time as captain of the Windsor Spitfires during the 2012-13 season. His pro career included 121 games played in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) before retiring at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL).

"I'm excited for the opportunity to work alongside some great hockey minds here in Flint," Posa said. "Being able to come back and try and bring a championship to my hometown is something I'm really looking forward to this season."

The Grand Blanc, Mich. native returns to his hometown with four years of coaching experience in the NA3HL, SPHL and Little Caesars AAA program.

"We're happy to be adding Saverio to the team," Head Coach and General Manager Ted Dent said. "He has great experience as a player in this league and we believe it will translate to him being an even better coach."

Jerry Vangilder returns for a second stint with the Firebirds after being a volunteer Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach during the team's inaugural 2015-16 season.

"I'm very excited to be back in Flint," Vangilder said. "There's a good group here and I look forward to working together with the entire team to put together a great season."

After his time in Flint, he became the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for First Line Performance until 2019. He since opened his own training center back in 2018, Adopt Strength & Conditioning LLC. Vangilder comes to Flint with a Bachelor of Science at Saginaw Valley State University.

"We're excited to welcome Jerry to our staff," Dent said. "He has great experience for what we are looking for in a strength coach and believe he will be a great fit in our organization."

With training camp kicking off today at the Dort Financial Center, the Flint Firebirds hockey staff is now set for the 2022-23 season. Assistant Coach Jeff Blum, Goalie Coach Greg Stefan, Athletic Therapist Dashawn Tolbert and Head Equipment Manager Brandon Schroeder all return to Head Coach & General Manager Ted Dent's staff, with Dave McParlan coming on as the Assistant General Manager.

Training Camp will be closed to the public until Thursday, September 1 when the annual Blue vs. White Game is set to take place at 10:00 a.m. The game will be free to attend. Be sure to follow @FlintFirebirds on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok all week long for rosters, interviews, videos, interactive content and MORE!

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