Ice Bats Hire Hockey Ops Assistant
Published on September 23, 2004 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Austin Ice Bats News Release
The Austin Ice Bats of the Central Hockey League today announced the hiring of Greg Gatto as the team's new Assistant Director of Hockey Operations. Gatto will assist Ice Bats Head Coach Jeff Greenlaw in the areas of player recruitment and evaluation, and day-to-day hockey operations.
The 33-year-old Gatto, a native of Lethbridge, Alberta, played six seasons of professional hockey, including three seasons in the CHL. He appeared for two seasons as a Player-Assistant Coach with the San Antonio Iguanas from 2000 to 2002, and was with Odessa for one season prior to his retirement as a player in 2003. Last season, Gatto stayed in Odessa as an Assistant Coach under Jackalopes Head Coach Don McKee.
Greenlaw expects Gatto to play a significant role with the team this season.
"Greg will be a tremendous asset to our organization," said Greenlaw, the Ice Bats Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations. "He was an intense competitor as a player, and has learned from some of the top coaches in minor hockey. He'll help me recruit and evaluate talent, help run practices, conduct our video sessions and a lot of other day-to-day hockey operations duties. And he'll be our âeye in the sky' during games."
"It will be greatly beneficial to me to have Greg providing his perspective on our talent and their performance during games," Greenlaw said.
"I'm really excited to be joining the Ice Bats organization," Gatto said. "I learned a lot working in Odessa last year, and I'm looking forward to putting it to use in Austin. I played against Jeff Greenlaw for a few years, and we talked quite a bit last year. I think we're going to work well together. We have a lot of the same ideas about the kind of team we want to put together, and the systems we want to use. I can't imagine a better situation."
"Based on the good young talent we have coming in, I think we'll have a great team," Gatto said. "It's a team that will very much bear Greeny's identity, and mine, for that matter."
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The Ice Bats are preparing for their ninth season of play at the Travis County Expo Center. The Bats will open the season with three home games October 22nd through the 24th, against Southeast Division rivals Corpus Christi, Rio Grande Valley and Laredo.
Season tickets and corporate partnerships are currently available for the upcoming season. Once again, free Belfry Club membership is included with all full-season packages, and free parking with all full-season and 16-game ticket plans.
Fans may call the Ice Bats ticket office at (512) 927-PUCK, or log onto the team's website at www.icebats.com for more information.
Central Hockey League Stories from September 23, 2004
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- Cullaton Signs Two-Way Contract, Fastest Skater In CHL Returns - Laredo Bucks
- Rayz get defensive - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Ice Bats Hire Hockey Ops Assistant - Austin Ice Bats
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