Giants GM Domenichelli, Head Coach Burgess Officially Introduced Thursday

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Giants GM Domenichelli, Head Coach Burgess Officially Introduced Thursday

June 26, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Vancouver Giants News Release


Tsawwassen, B.C. - On Thursday morning, the Vancouver Giants held a press conference to officially introduce new General Manager Hnat Domenichelli and new Head Coach Parker Burgess.

Following remarks from both Domenichelli and Burgess, as well as Majority Owner Ron Toigo, the newest Giants staff members met with the local media.

Here are some takeaways from what was shared on Thursday. For more insight from both new hires, head to the Giants social media channels [@WHLGiants].

"It's All About the Players."

A big focus from Domenichelli's opening remarks was about development.

"I'm a huge believer in the Western Hockey League," he said. "It's all about the players. I was a young kid one time - now I'm older. But it's all about our young guys. These young kids grow up; they have dreams about playing in the NHL, but they can't do that from 14 years old right to the NHL. You have to go somewhere. You have to start your journey and we're going to help these young kids; make them NHL players. That's what really, really drew me to this place, drew me back to the Western Hockey League and the Vancouver Giants. It feels like there's huge potential.

"I really think success is... going to be twofold. I think the number one is how many young kids - and even our coaches - how many we can promote to the NHL? So how many draft picks we can develop, how many players we can provide to the next level...I think that's number one - a huge responsibility and a goal. I think if we do that over the next year, time after time, winning will take care of itself."

Develop for this level and the next

Burgess talked about not just development at the junior level, but at the next level too, wherever that may be.

"For me as a coach, I love working with the guys day in, day out. Being at the rink is my favourite part of the day," he said. "I hope to bring enthusiasm and passion and some structure to what is already a great thing. We want to develop these guys on and off the ice so that they can accomplish their goals, not only while they're in Vancouver, but when they take that next step...I think it's important that it's not only about them getting better while they're here, but we want to make sure that when we're watching them in the years to follow, whether it's in college or pro hockey, not only are they ready to make the next step, but we want these guys to be impact players wherever they go. We want to see them on TV, playing in the NHL and representing Canada or whatever country they're from."

Coaching Philosophy: "I want our guys to be resilient and very brave."

When asked what he typically expects from his teams, Burgess mentioned some familiar words like 'connected,' and 'passionate.'

But he also spoke about resiliency being a lesson not just for young players on the ice, but for them in life outside the rink.

"A lot of adversity happens within a hockey game, especially with young players that are developing and growing. A lot of adversity hits throughout the season, whether it's road trips or injuries," Burgess said. "I think instilling an ability to respond the right way as a group and as individuals when that adversity hits is going to be really important. I think that's not only an on-ice skill that we can help with and help develop, but that's a life skill: when adversity hits, how do you respond?

"Then lastly: brave. I think in order to win championships and to really grow as a player and as a team, there's going to be a lot of big moments, and you need players that have the courage and are brave in those moments to want to make a play. Whether that's a blocked shot or getting a puck out on a penalty kill or making a play on the power play or scoring a big time goal in overtime. We have to empower these guys to have that courage and confidence when those moments come so that we can take advantage of them."

Giants season tickets and flex packs are NOW ON SALE! Season ticket packages start as low as $18.26 per game and include the first two home playoff games. Flex packs start at just $135 and come in six,12 or 36-ticket packs. Call the Giants Office at 604.4.GIANTS (+1 (604) 444-2687) or contact the Giants at: sales@vancouvergiants.com.

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