08 / 09 Bantam Team Roster:

Jackson Allen Cooper Roschuk Anthony Briggs John Ryan Austin Cote Josh Haight Josh Griffin Jack Sajovec Jimmy Ledbetter Annie Whitacre Kevin Li Dakota Wilkerson Josh Phillips Ben Williams Donnie Puryear

Bantam Head Coach: Mike Housman

Eagles Coach Mike Housman will also be leading the Bantam AA team this season. With 7 years of coaching experience behind him and a Level IV certification, Coach Housman is a professional coach that uses multiple techniques in order to develop and continue to motivate players to reach their full potential.

Coach Housman works hard at developing his players by focusing on skating first. Strong skating skills are the foundation for any successful player and team. Throughout his coaching career, Coach Housman has worked along side some of the most prominent skating coaches out there today. He also attended the 2004 International Power Skating Symposium where he worked with not only the brightest minds in skating, but also strength and conditioning coaches. Strong skating fundamentals and speed is key in all aspects of the game of hockey and are the building block for all skills in the game.

With Bantams, it is also the goal of Coach Housman to help his players learn to think the game of hockey. He believes in teaching his players not only where to be, but why. Developing students of the game helps kids develop better hockey sense and adapt to multiple in-game situations on the fly. All successful teams need the ability to adapt and a thorough understanding of systems and finer points of the game is essential to becoming a complete player.

Coach Housman draws from his experiences in coach travel hockey over the last 7 years. From Midget AA teams to learn to play hockey, Coach Housman has spent years refining his coaching technique so that all players are able to reach their full potential. A part owner of Quick Release Hockey Academy and former instructor of California Dreamin' Hockey School and Weekend Warriors Hockey Academy, Coach Housman has taken something from every coach he has worked with in order to help your child not only develop as a player, but also enjoy coming to the rink every day.

Assistant Coach Bob Nelson is entering his second season with the East Coast Eagles Bantam squad. Prior, he was the head coach of the NCSU “B” Team for three years and an assistant coach on various area youth teams. Coach Nelson also served on the East Coast Eagles Board of Directors and President of the Cape Fear Youth Hockey Association. Coach Nelson’s playing days began with one of the oldest youth hockey organizations in the country, the Freeport, NY Arrows and continued with perennial champion St. Mary’s High School in Manhasset, NY. Coach Nelson played on the JV squad at Middlebury College and finished his playing career with the Fort Bragg Dragons. He is a Level IV coach who this season will also serve as the College Coordinator for the Tier III Junior A Queen City Steam of the Central States Hockey League. In addition to teaching the game of hockey, Coach Nelson brings a wealth of experience and knowledge regarding options and opportunities for players once they’ve completed playing Bantams such as Prep schools, Midgets, Juniors, and eventually collegiate hockey.