Coach Svistunov is the goaltender coach of the WBS Knights. As a native of Moscow, Russia, Svistunov played hockey for the WBS Knights prior to joining the Buffalo State Bengals. As a mechanical engineering major, Svistunov racked up an impressive 92% and 80% save percentage in the net for the WBS Knights and Bengals respectively.
ANDREI SVISTUNOV
WBS KNIGHTS GOALTENDING COACH - HOMETOWN: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
ANDREI SVISTUNOV
WBS KNIGHTS GOALTENDING COACH - HOMETOWN: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
RAY GIROUX
WBS JR. KNIGHTS COACH AND REVOLUTION LEARN TO PLAY DIRECTOR
RAY GIROUX
WBS JR. KNIGHTS COACH AND REVOLUTION LEARN TO PLAY DIRECTOR
Coach Giroux is a Canadian ice hockey defenceman that played with Metallurg Novokuznetsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Giroux, who shoots left, played collegiately at Yale University. During the 1997–98 season, he captained the best team in school history as Yale won their first ECAC regular season title (Yale has since won another regular season title in the 2008-09 season) and advanced to the NCAA tournament after only having been picked to finish in 10th place at the beginning of the season. In addition to being a 1st-team All American, Giroux was named ECAC Player of the Year as well as the league’s best offensive defenceman and was one of ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, given annually to the nation’s top collegiate player.
Giroux spent time in many NHL organizations before leaving the US to play overseas. He has played in the AHL for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and in the NHL for both the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils
Playing for Ak Bars he became Russian champion (2005/06) and IIHF European Champions Cup winner (2007). Giroux made his Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) debut playing with SKA Saint Petersburg during the inaugural 2008–09 KHL season. He participated in 2009 Kontinental Hockey League All-Star Game.
ALEX VASKO
HOCKEY DIRECTOR, WILKES-BARRE SCRANTON JR. KNIGHTS
ALEX VASKO
HOCKEY DIRECTOR, WILKES-BARRE SCRANTON JR. KNIGHTS
Coach Vasko is a native to Kiev, Ukraine and represents the former Soviet Union Hockey Training School.
Alex started his professional playing career in Eastern Europe Hockey League in 1995. In 1999 Alex moved to the United States to continue his playing career in Gold Rush AWHL, Sioux City Musketeers USHL and Mohawk Valley UHL. Alex also participated in NHL Rookie Camps of Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning and in ECHL, UHL Training Camps.
In 2007, Alex moved to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area to begin his coaching career as a Head Coach with WBS Jr. Knights Youth Hockey Club. For five in a row, Alex has been selected as AYHL All Star Game Coach. From 2012 through 2014 hockey seasons, Alex led his teams to a National Championship and in 2012 won National Championship with his Bantam Major AAA Team.
Coach Vasko has coached and trained NHL player Ivan Provorov – Philadelphia Flyers (NHL Draft 2015, 1st Round, 7th Overall), Denis Smirnov – Colorado Avalanche (NHL Draft 2017, 6th Round, 156th Overall), CJ Yakimowicz – St. Louis Blues (NHL Draft 2014, 6th Round, 172nd Overall), Nikita Pavlychev – Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL Draft 2015, 7th Round, 197th Overall) and Dmitri Zaitsev – Washington Capitals (NHL Draft 2016, 7th Round, 207th Overall).
In addition to the six NHL draft picks, Coach Vasko has developed players currently committed by the Big 10 and other Division 1 Colleges: Denis Smirnov, Nikita Pavlychev, Paul Denaples and Jacob Goldowski – Penn State, NCAA Div. I – Big Ten; Eugene Fadyeyev – Ohio State, NCAA Div. I – Big Ten; Derek Hamelin – Canisius College, NCAA Div. I; Marcus Joseph – Sacred Heart University, NCAA Div. I; Vlad Dzhioshvili, University of Vermont, NCAA Div. I; Konstantin Chernyuk- University of Maine, NCAA Div. I; Jacob Hamacher and Gavin Lewis – RIT, NCAA Div. I; Joseph Campolieto – Union College, NCAA Div. I.
ANDREI SVISTUNOV
WBS KNIGHTS GOALTENDING COACH - HOMETOWN: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
ANDREI SVISTUNOV
WBS KNIGHTS GOALTENDING COACH - HOMETOWN: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
Coach Svistunov is the goaltender coach of the WBS Knights. As a native of Moscow, Russia, Svistunov played hockey for the WBS Knights prior to joining the Buffalo State Bengals. As a mechanical engineering major, Svistunov racked up an impressive 92% and 80% save percentage in the net for the WBS Knights and Bengals respectively.
RAY GIROUX
WBS JR. KNIGHTS COACH AND REVOLUTION LEARN TO PLAY DIRECTOR
RAY GIROUX
WBS JR. KNIGHTS COACH AND REVOLUTION LEARN TO PLAY DIRECTOR
Coach Giroux is a Canadian ice hockey defenceman that played with Metallurg Novokuznetsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Giroux, who shoots left, played collegiately at Yale University. During the 1997–98 season, he captained the best team in school history as Yale won their first ECAC regular season title (Yale has since won another regular season title in the 2008-09 season) and advanced to the NCAA tournament after only having been picked to finish in 10th place at the beginning of the season. In addition to being a 1st-team All American, Giroux was named ECAC Player of the Year as well as the league’s best offensive defenceman and was one of ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, given annually to the nation’s top collegiate player.
Giroux spent time in many NHL organizations before leaving the US to play overseas. He has played in the AHL for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and in the NHL for both the New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils
Playing for Ak Bars he became Russian champion (2005/06) and IIHF European Champions Cup winner (2007). Giroux made his Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) debut playing with SKA Saint Petersburg during the inaugural 2008–09 KHL season. He participated in 2009 Kontinental Hockey League All-Star Game.
ALEX VASKO
HOCKEY DIRECTOR, WILKES-BARRE SCRANTON JR. KNIGHTS
ALEX VASKO
HOCKEY DIRECTOR, WILKES-BARRE SCRANTON JR. KNIGHTS
Coach Vasko is a native to Kiev, Ukraine and represents the former Soviet Union Hockey Training School.
Alex started his professional playing career in Eastern Europe Hockey League in 1995. In 1999 Alex moved to the United States to continue his playing career in Gold Rush AWHL, Sioux City Musketeers USHL and Mohawk Valley UHL. Alex also participated in NHL Rookie Camps of Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning and in ECHL, UHL Training Camps.
In 2007, Alex moved to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area to begin his coaching career as a Head Coach with WBS Jr. Knights Youth Hockey Club. For five in a row, Alex has been selected as AYHL All Star Game Coach. From 2012 through 2014 hockey seasons, Alex led his teams to a National Championship and in 2012 won National Championship with his Bantam Major AAA Team.
Coach Vasko has coached and trained NHL player Ivan Provorov – Philadelphia Flyers (NHL Draft 2015, 1st Round, 7th Overall), Denis Smirnov – Colorado Avalanche (NHL Draft 2017, 6th Round, 156th Overall), CJ Yakimowicz – St. Louis Blues (NHL Draft 2014, 6th Round, 172nd Overall), Nikita Pavlychev – Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL Draft 2015, 7th Round, 197th Overall) and Dmitri Zaitsev – Washington Capitals (NHL Draft 2016, 7th Round, 207th Overall).
In addition to the six NHL draft picks, Coach Vasko has developed players currently committed by the Big 10 and other Division 1 Colleges: Denis Smirnov, Nikita Pavlychev, Paul Denaples and Jacob Goldowski – Penn State, NCAA Div. I – Big Ten; Eugene Fadyeyev – Ohio State, NCAA Div. I – Big Ten; Derek Hamelin – Canisius College, NCAA Div. I; Marcus Joseph – Sacred Heart University, NCAA Div. I; Vlad Dzhioshvili, University of Vermont, NCAA Div. I; Konstantin Chernyuk- University of Maine, NCAA Div. I; Jacob Hamacher and Gavin Lewis – RIT, NCAA Div. I; Joseph Campolieto – Union College, NCAA Div. I.