everest academy
Hockey Staff
Daniel Sisca
As a former player, Daniel Sisca brings a wealth of hockey knowledge, skill, and experience. Daniel spent his entire minor hockey career in the GTHL, followed by five years in the OHL, where he spent one year as the captain of the Mississauga Ice Dogs and one year as captain of the Sarnia Sting. His professional hockey career began in the ECHL and extended to the AHL and three years in Europe. During his time in the ECHL, Daniel was awarded to the ECHL All-Rookie Team. Daniel has worked with players of all age groups and various skill levels. He brings his firsthand hockey experience and genuine understanding of the game to help players improve their skills and perform at their highest level
Managing Hockey Skills Director
Dave D'ammizio
Dave Dammizio is a dedicated skills coach at Everest Academy, specializing in the development of hockey players from beginners all the way to those playing in the NHL. With over 20 years of experience, Dave focuses on enhancing technical skills, game sense, and overall performance on the ice.
Recognized for his exceptional teaching abilities, Dave has a unique talent for breaking down complex skills into manageable components. He creates customized training programs tailored to each player’s needs, ensuring they grasp fundamental techniques while building confidence. His patient and engaging coaching style encourages players to push their limits and embrace continuous improvement, making skill development both effective and enjoyable.
Hockey Instructor
Justin Teakle
Justin Teakle brings 19 years of experience working in Hockey Development Programs to Everest Academy. After four seasons playing in the Ontario Provincial Junior League (OPJL), he transitioned into coaching and coached over 1000 games over a 14 season span. That run included one record setting season with the Cobourg Cougars in 2011, where the team finished with a 38-9-3 record. Since 2005 he has served as the Director and Head Instructor of PassHockey and has served as the Head Instructor and Coach for Pro Hockey since 2013. Most recently, he served as Head Coach and General Manager of the Brampton Admiral (2018 to 2020), as Co-Coach of the Markham Majors 06 AAA team (2019), and in 2020 was named Director of Operation for Can-Ice.
Hockey Instructor
Anthony Nigro
Anthony Nigro is a former first round draft pick of the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League. He went on to play four seasons split between Guelph and the Ottawa 67’s. Anthony was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. He then played for their farm team in the AHL for three seasons before heading over to Europe playing a combined 6 seasons in Italy, Switzerland and Denmark. Anthony finished off his pro career in the ECHL playing for the Brampton Beast winning the ECHL Player Of The Week award in the final week of the 2019-2020 season. Anthony has gained valuable knowledge of the game over his 10 year professional playing career at different levels around the world and uses that to help the next generation with their skill development.
Hockey Instructor
Samantha Skene
Samantha is a Skate Canada figuring skating coach as well as a skating coach for the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves. Samantha comes to Everest with expertise honed through training OHL/NHL players. Samantha is also a skating consultant at Quartexx Management. She was also a guest coach at the recent Pittsburgh Penguins development camp, contributing exceptional guidance to aspiring talents. Samantha is a driving force in enhancing skating techniques and performance, consistently leaving a mark on both professional and aspiring athletes.
Skating Coach
Matt Chiarantano
Matt Chiarantano is currently an Assistant Coach with the Mississauga Steelheads in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Matt works primarily with the defense core of the Steelheads amongst other roles with the club. Prior to his role with the Steelheads, Matt served as an Associate Coach with the North York Rangers in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL). Matt played junior hockey in the OJHL for the Georgetown Raiders before moving on to the NCAA. Chiarantano is a graduate of Niagara University and was a member of the Purple Eagles from 2012-2016, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Education. Chiarantano had a brief stint in the ECHL as a member of the Brampton Beast before retiring due to injuries. As a member of Team Canada East, Chiarantano won a Silver Medal in the 2010 World Junior A Challenge. Along with coaching, Chiarantano works with many junior and professional players as a skills development instructor and is the owner of MAC Hockey Development.
Defensive specialist coach
Dave Franco
Dave has coached some of the world’s most elite goalies in the world throughout the last 20 years. Jordan Binnington, Curtis Joseph, Jamie Storr, Steve Mason and Robb Zepp have all spoken about the difference Dave made in their career. Dave has spent his entire dedicated to excellence in goaltending from his humble beginnings as a young goalie in Toronto to playing pro in Europe through coaching goalies at the NHL, AHL, OHL and European Pro Levels. Dave’s unsurpassed knowledge of the position and proven track record of developing talent for the OHL, NCAA, NHL and European Professional leagues is unrivaled.
goaltending coach
Marco Franco
goaltending coach
Vince Bellissimo
Vince is a former professional hockey player with over 350 games played pro. He played Division 1 NCAA hockey at Western Michigan University. Vince was selected in the 5th round by the Florida Panthers in the 2002 Entry Draft and eventually signed an NHL contract with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2005.
Following his playing career, Vince has been a head coach for 11 years, the last 5 of which spent in the OJHL where he carries a regular season coaching record of 160-39-12. In addition to that, he has guided his teams to multiple deep playoff runs. Vince is currently the Head Coach of the Toronto Patriots Jr. A Hockey Club. Over his 11 year coaching tenure in the GTHL and the OJHL Vince has a reputation for creating positive, high energy environments conducive to maximizing player development. He has developed numerous players who have achieved high success at higher levels of hockey including the NHL, AHL, ECHL, NCAA, CIS, OHL and European Pro.
Hockey Instructor
Vince Tarantino
With over 20 years of skill development experience in hockey, Vince Tarantino has left an indelible mark in the sport. His contributions include a five-year tenure as a skills coach for the Niagara IceDogs in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and four years as an area scout. In addition to his coaching role, Vince also held positions as the Director of Player Development and Player Development Coordinator for the Niagara IceDogs. His dedication to player development extends to the American Hockey League (AHL), where he spent two seasons working with both injured and healthy scratch players for the Belleville Senators. Presently, Vince continues to shape the future of hockey as the skills coach for the Trenton Golden Hawks in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL).
Hockey Instructor
