The Burlington Eagles are thrilled to announce the Head Coaches for our AAA teams for the upcoming 2026-27 season. The Hockey Committee has worked hard to ensure the best possible candidates are able to lead our teams next season with both new and returning Head Coaches and Assistant Coaches to our AAA roster. The Eagles would like to introduce:
U10 AAA – HEAD COACH – CHRIS CAMPOLI
Chris played major junior
hockey with the Erie Otters (OHL), winning an OHL championship in
2002, and earned the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy as the OHL’s
Humanitarian of the Year, as well as the CHL Humanitarian of the Year.
Internationally, he represented Team Ontario U17 and Team Canada
U18, winning gold at the 2001 IIHF World U18 Championship in Prague, Czech
Republic. He was drafted 227th overall by the New York Islanders in 2004, where he
made his NHL debut in 2005, scoring on his first shot in his first game. Chris was a defenseman known for his mobility
and puck-moving ability which allowed him to over 440 NHL games. In the
NHL, he played for the Islanders, Blackhawks,
Senators, and Canadiens, and later continued his professional career in
Europe. He now works for the National Hockey League Players’
Association (NHLPA), bringing his experience and leadership to player
development and advocacy. He is returning for his third season with the
2017 age group with the Burlington Eagles club.
U11 AAA – HEAD COACH – NATHAN TENNANT
Nathan grew up in the Upper Ottawa Valley where he
played minor hockey for the Ottawa Valley Titans AAA program. He helped them
win multiple league championships and become a top AAA team in Ontario.
Following his U15 season, Nathan was drafted 77th overall to the Kingston
Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League as an Underage Player. At 15 years of
age, Nathan began his OHL career and went on to play 4 seasons, amassing 262
games played for the Kingston Frontenacs and Plymouth Whalers. He was Kingston’s
leading scoring defenceman in his second, third and fourth seasons. Nathan was
also named an Assistant Captain of the Frontenacs. Following his OHL career,
Nathan went on to play for the University of Ottawa for 3 seasons. After his
first season, Nathan was named to the All-Canadian Rookie Team and was invited
to tryout for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League. In his second
season, he helped the Gee Gees reach the National Championships. He was also
named to the OUA All-Star team multiple seasons and named to the Canadian
University All-Stars vs Team Canada World Junior Team. After graduating from
the University of Ottawa, Nathan went on to play professional hockey in the
East Coast Hockey League for the Dayton Bombers and Bakersfield Condors. He
helped Bakersfield win a Western Conference title. Nathan then decided to
retire from professional hockey due to injury. During his hockey career, Nathan
was fortunate to be coached by several NHL and Canadian National Team coaches.
For the past 5 years, he has drawn on his hockey and coaching experiences to
teach and coach AA, AAA and Elite level hockey players. Nathan’s coaching
philosophy focuses on skill development, teamwork, work ethic and continuous
learning in an environment where players believe in themselves and each other.
He helps players understand the “How” and “Why” behind various aspects of the
game.
U12 AAA – HEAD COACH – PETER LEBLANC
Peter was
born and raised in Hamilton Ontario, where he played minor hockey and junior. He
was offered a scholarship from the University of New Hampshire at 15 while
playing for the Hamilton Reps 15 AAA team. He played the next two seasons with
the Hamilton Red Wings, where Peter earned Rookie of the Year honours and was
named to team Canada East. He was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2006
while playing Jr. A, and was one of few players drafted from that league.
During his four-year tenure at UNH, he earned a political science degree and
was named captain in his senior year. Peter was named to the NCAA Northeast
Regional All-Tournament team in 2009. In 2010, he played his first professional
season with the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL and the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL,
where he was named to the All-Star team. In his 2nd season as a professional,
he led The IceHogs in goals and was named the team's Unsung Hero for the
2011-12 season. Peter ended up getting traded to Washington and played for the
Hershey Bears where he played an NHL game with the Washington Capitals. Peter went
over to Europe and had seasons in Sweden, Finland, Austria, UK, and Germany.
After his playing career, Peter became the Head Coach of the 2014 Hamilton
Steel team for two seasons where the team participated in the OMHA tournament as
well as being finalists in six tournaments through the two seasons. Peter has
really enjoyed staying in the game and tries to use his experiences as a player
to help communicate with the players and elevate their game to their full
potential.
U12 AAA – ASSISTANT HEAD COACH – KRIS SCHMIDT
Kris is a
high-performance development coach with extensive playing and coaching
experience across junior, major junior, and university hockey. Originally from
Mississauga, Ontario, Kris started minor hockey in the GTHL before competing in
the QMJHL with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, Drummondville Voltigeurs, and PEI
Rocket, along with the OJHL’s Mississauga Chargers and North York Rangers. He
later played at Brock University, earning both academic and athletic
scholarships while completing an Honours degree in Business Finance. Following
career-ending injuries, Kris transitioned into coaching, where he focuses on
skating mechanics, puck skills, hockey IQ, situational awareness, and mental
resilience. Known for building strong relationships, creating high-tempo
training environments, and developing complete players, Kris brings a modern,
detail-driven approach to player development.
U13 AAA – HEAD COACH – JASON PINIZZOTTO
Jason played minor hockey in the GTHL with the Don Mills
Flyers and Mississauga Reps. He played for the OJHL Oakville Blades before
being drafted to the OHL's Barrie Colts in the 3rd round, 47th overall. He
played two years in the OHL for the Barrie Colts and St. Michael's Majors
before returning to the OJHL Couchiching Terriers as a 20-year-old,
scoring 140 points to lead Canadian Junior A Hockey, and the third highest
point total ever in an OJHL season. He continued to play at York University for
four years where his team won the OUA Championship in 2003 and competed at the
CIS National Tournament in 2003 and 2004. Jason then began his professional
career in 2005 in Germany, where he continued to play a total of 13 seasons in
the DEL and DEL2. He won the DEL2 championship in 2015 and officially ranked
2nd in DEL2 all-time goal scoring following his final season. Jason finished
his professional hockey career in 2018 with 717 career games played, 307 goals,
295 assists and 602 points and has been coaching rep hockey since. He is
returning for his fourth season within the Eagles AAA program.
U13 AAA – ASSISTANT COACH – CONNOR JAMES
Connor grew up and played minor hockey in Calgary,
Alberta. He was drafted in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the LA Kings while
playing on scholarship at the University of Denver, where he went on to win the
WCHA Championship in 2002 and the NCAA National Championship and
Student-Athlete of the Year award in 2004. From there, Connor played 12 seasons
professionally in the AHL with the Manchester Monarchs and the Wilkes-Barre
Scranton Penguins and in the NHL with the LA Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins. He
then played 7 seasons in Germany in the DEL before retiring from professional
hockey in 2016. Connor also represented Team Canada at three separate
Deutschland Cup Tournaments. Throughout his career, he was fortunate to play
under several great coaches such as Todd Richards, Dan Bylsma, Mark Messier,
Todd Reirden, Bruce Boudreau, Andy Murray, and Jim Hughes. Connor continues to
pass on the knowledge he gained from his own mentors to the next generation of
hockey players with the 2014 age group. His mission is to help develop his
players' skills while they continue to have fun during their time at the rink.
U14 AAA – HEAD COACH – KEVIN ELKINS
During Kevin's twenty-years of being involved in coaching, he has
worked at many levels of hockey from U12 AAA minor hockey to the OJHL junior A
level. Kevin's main focus has always been individual player development and to
provide players with the tools and confidence necessary to continue to grow and
reach their goals both on and off the ice. Kevin’s been fortunate over the 20
plus years to work with many outstanding players that have moved on to higher
levels of hockey including many that have or will move onto a pro career
including this year’s top draft pick Matthew Schaefer. His coaching experience
includes many levels of rep hockey: U17 Team Ontario Regional Programs, Appleby
College, and Junior levels while also being a Hockey Canada Certified High
Performance 1 Hockey Coach. Kevin's passion and love for the game is instilled
in his players as they come to the rink with the purpose of becoming a better
hockey player using player development, team play, and creating a fun
environment.
U15 AAA – HEAD COACH – ALLAN ROURKE
Allan grew up in Mississauga playing in the GTHL for the
Mississauga Reps for six years. Allan was drafted in the 3rd round, 1996 OHL
Priority Selection as an underage player to the Kitchener Rangers. He went on
to play there for four years and in 1999-2000 led the OHL in goals by a
defenseman with 31 and was a 2nd All Star team. He was drafted in the 6th round in
1998 by the Toronto Maple Leafs where Allan went on to play 10 years professionally with
659 career games including NHL/AHL/DEL - NHL stops include Carolina, New York
Islanders and Edmonton. Allan
has coached many minor hockey teams in the Greater Toronto Area from U12 AAA up
to U16 AAA for over fifteen years and is a Development 1 Certified and High
Performance 1 Certified Coach. Allan uses his playing and coaching experiences to
develop young players in his programs both on and off the ice. Allan is
returning for third year as a Head Coach with the Burlington Eagles and the
2012 age group.
U16 AAA – HEAD COACH – DAN FITZGERALD
Dan joins the Burlington Eagles as the U16
AAA Head Coach from the Halton Hurricanes U16 AAA program and the Brantford
Titans of the GOHL where he served as both Head Coach/General Manager in
2024-25 and President/General Manager in 2025-26. Prior to the Titans, he coached in the Ontario Hockey League as an Assistant Coach with the
Guelph Storm and Head Coach with the Niagara IceDogs. Dan also spent
four seasons as the Head Coach of the OJHL’s Brantford 99ers, as well as three seasons
as bench boss in the GOHL, split between the St. Catharines Falcons and the
Cambridge Winter Hawks—earning Coach of the Year honours in 2017. He started his coaching career with the Dundas Blues of the PJHL where he earned
the Ontario Hockey Association’s Coach of the Year honours in 2015.As part of
the 2026-27 season, he will join Team Ontario’s Men’s Hockey Team as an
Associate Coach for the 2027 Canada Winter Games in Quebec. Prior to joining
the coaching ranks, Dan played four seasons of junior hockey and suited
up for the Niagara University Purple Eagles for the 2009-10 ACHA season.
U16 AAA – ASSISTANT COACH – JACK PANCOE
Jack is a Brantford, Ontario native with a strong background in
competitive hockey. He played seven years of AAA hockey with the Brantford
Minor Hockey Association before advancing to junior hockey in the GOJHL with
the Brantford Titans and Bandits and later in the OJHL with the Brantford
99ers. Jack served as captain during his overage season and played 203 junior
games in total. Most recently, he coached with the Halton Hurricanes U16 AAA
program alongside Coach Dan, where he contributed to player development and
team performance.
U18 AAA – HEAD COACH – DAVID MILLER
David grew up in Burlington where he played minor hockey
for the Eagles as well as the in the GTHL. He helped his teams win multiple
league championships which included winning the OHL Cup in the 2011-2012. Being
a top AAA team prospect in Ontario, David played in the 2011-2012 Top Prospect
Game. David was drafted into the Ontario Hockey League by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He played in the Soo for four seasons
with playing one season with the Kitchener Rangers. After his OHL career, he
moved to pursue his OUA career at Ryerson University. David played four seasons
with Ryerson while being an Assistant Captain in his final season and leading
his team to a Bronze Medal in the OUA Nation Championships. David went on to
play one year of pro hockey in Germany with EC Peiting before starting his
coaching career. David has coached three seasons at the AAA level as Head
Coach. David’s coaching philosophy is centered on developing skilled,
adaptable players who are prepared to excel at the next level of hockey. His
approach emphasizes game-like situation training, skill development, and
instilling a team-first, family-oriented mindset where players buy into the
system, outwork every opponent, and support one another both on and off the
ice. He ensures that every player feels supported and driven to reach their
full potential.
U18 AAA – ASSISTANT COACH – RYAN FOSS
Ryan played minor hockey in the GTHL with the Don Mills
Flyers and Mississauga Rebels. Being a top
AAA team prospect in Ontario, Ryan was drafted into the Ontario Hockey League and
played for the Windsor Spitfires and Guelph Storm. Ryan was selected to the NHL combine where
he received an NHL invite to Anaheim Ducks training camp. After his OHL career, he moved to pursue his OUA career at Acadia
University. Ryan played four seasons with Acadia before starting his
professional career with experience in two National Championship appearances. Ryan
played in the East Coast Hockey League with the Norfolk Admirals and Idaho Steelheads as well as
playing in an ECHL All Star Game. He took his skills to the Europe, where he
played for teams Slovakia and the United Kingdom. Ryan has coached since the day he retired. His coaching philosophy centers on
clear, consistent messaging, creating player empowerment and creativity within
a structured system. While also emphasizing communication, attitude, and the
development process.