Meet Brooklyn Aces Head Coach Chris Firriolo
July 2, 2008 - Eastern Professional Hockey League (EPHL)
Brooklyn Aces News Release
Chris Firriolo, the recently named Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations for the new Brooklyn Aces of the Eastern Professional Hockey League, is already recruiting his team which will be playing their home games starting in November at the Aviator Sports & Recreation Center in Brooklyn, New York. "Most of our roster will be made up of players from NCAA Division I programs, Major Junior (OHL, WHL, QMJHL) and players who have spent time in other pro minor leagues like the ECHL, CHL, IHL, and SPHL. My staff and I are excited about our first Pro Tryout Camp which will be August 22-24 at the Aviator Sports and Recreation Center which will be open to the public and will give the community of Brooklyn their first glance at the young talented players competing for a spot on Brooklyn's roster this season," said Chris Firriolo.
"Brooklyn is a tremendous community with such a rich tradition and long history of professional sports. I'm really excited to become a part of Brooklyn's first professional hockey team and help continue that great tradition that has made Brooklyn the great sports town it is today," Firriolo added. "The facilities at Aviator Sports and Recreation and its staff are going to provide a great game environment each night for our players, fans, and the Brooklyn community. In addition, the facility at Aviator will provide our players the opportunity to truly develop on and off the ice."
Prior to joining the Brooklyn Aces, Chris Firriolo served as General Manager and Head Coach of the Syracuse Stars Junior âA' Hockey Club of the prestigious Eastern Junior Hockey League where Chris led the 2007-2008 Syracuse team to its most successful season in the organization's 20 year history with an impressive 40-10-6-1 record while placing 12 of his players at the NCAA level. Chris was selected to coach the Northern Division All-Star team at the 2008 Eastern Junior Hockey League All-Star Classic. Chris had six of his players selected to represent the Northern Division All-Star team as well as the Eastern Junior Hockey League Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.
Prior to arriving in Syracuse, Chris spent two years as General Manager and Head Coach of the Oswego Admirals Junior âA' Hockey Club of the Ontario Provincial Junior âA' Hockey League and was responsible for bringing Junior âA' hockey to the City of Oswego. In his two years with Oswego, Chris reached the quarterfinal round of the Eastern Conference playoffs each year while placing 19 of his players at the NCAA and Pro level.
In addition to his role with the Admirals, the past two years Chris has coached Team Ontario comprised of players put together by NHL Central Scouting which competes each May in Boston to give NHL Scouts one last look at the top prospects from the Province of Ontario ranked by NHL Central Scouting prior to the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.
Over the past 8 years, Chris has coached over 85 players who have moved on to play at the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division III, Major Junior and Pro level, including several NHL Draft picks. As a general manager, head coach and scout, Chris has worked with the top programs across North America and has a long history of developing and placing players at the Junior âA', NCAA and Pro level. Chris has coached players presently playing at the NCAA Division I level in the Hockey East, ECAC, CCHA, WCHA, CHA and Atlantic Hockey League as well as numerous NCAA Division III programs, the USHL, Major Junior, and at the pro level in the NHL, AHL, ECHL, CHL, UHL and SPHL.
Chris has also served as Director of Scouting for the Cobourg Cougars of the Ontario Provincial Junior âA' Hockey League where he was responsible for the recruitment of all US player personnel as well as the team's NCAA liaison. While working with the Cougars, Chris also took on the role of Head Coach/General Manager of the Shawnee Americans U18 Select Team, a developmental ground for US and Canadian Junior âA' Hockey Leagues, as well as the NCAA Division I and Division III level. With the program's efforts focused on developing the top players in the Eastern Region, the U18 Select Team played a rigorous and demanding 70 Game schedule competing against the top teams from US and Canadian Junior âA' Leagues with regular trips north to New England, Ontario and Quebec, the American Midwest and Alaska.
Chris is also responsible for developing the New Jersey Native Elite Hockey Program where he created a developmental ground for local elite hockey players across the state of New Jersey who showcased their skills in an environment that maximized the most amount of exposure so these highly skilled athletes can continue their hockey careers at the next level. The New Jersey Native Elite team played against the top 17-18 year old players across North America. Chris sent 11 players from his 2002-03 Select Team on to the Junior âA' and NCAA level. His team was the first American team ever to qualify for the Gold Medal Round of the prestigious "Sports Excellence AAA Hockey Challenge" in Brandon, Manitoba. That season his players played against 19 players who were drafted in the first 3 rounds of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.
Each summer Chris coaches in the Pro Am Pre-Draft Showcase, the New England College Development League Showcase and Chowder Cup where he's been to the finals several times. Four summers ago Chris was invited to coach the prestigious Hockey Canada Montreal Team at the Chowder Cup. The Hockey Canada Montreal Program is one of the most respected summer developmental programs in the Quebec Province for Canadian hockey players age 17-20. Chris was asked to coach the Canadian Team to help their players gain exposure with the collegiate programs here in the United States.
One of Chris' most proud and personal accomplishments came back in his hometown in NJ where he was responsible for building the Montville High School Varsity Ice Hockey Program. In the two-year span he was there, the program went 32-11-8, winning its conference, reaching the League Championship game and qualifying for the State Tournament each season. He was named Coach of the Year by local newspapers and radio stations and New Jersey's Star-Ledger Newspaper recognized the program as one of the most successful first year hockey programs in the history of the state.
"The Eastern Professional Hockey League is an exciting new league with a great vision and the commitment the owners, commissioner, and league have made to bring a great evening of entertainment to their fans and local communities will make the EPHL a great success," Chris Firriolo said.
For more information on the Brooklyn Aces please go to www.BrooklynAces.com and for additional EPHL information go to www.ephl.com.
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Eastern Professional Hockey League Stories from July 2, 2008
- Meet Brooklyn Aces Head Coach Chris Firriolo - Brooklyn Aces
- Eastern Professional Hockey League Concludes Preseason Meetings - EPHL
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