2024-25 Coaching Staff

Steve grew up near Milwaukee, WI and began playing hockey at the age of 5. Throughout his youth he was always at the rink and played competitively through high school, playing on various AAA teams, including the Madison Capitols. Steve and his family moved to Steamboat in 2016 and both his children, Gracie and Austin, play hockey. Steve works from home for a health insurance organization which allows him freedom to do the things he enjoys in Steamboat, which includes playing/coaching hockey, golfing and skiing.

Steve spent the last 4+ years coaching 12U Girls and Mites, and this will be the first year as Head Coach of the 15U Girls team.

Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Jake first fell in love with hockey as a child going to watch Penguins games with his dad and playing ball hockey in his basement. He began playing organized hockey as a Squirt B player. He finished his youth career playing Midget AAA for the Pittsburgh Jr Penguins, as well as being a 3 year letterman and captain at Fox Chapel High School. During those years, he first became involved in coaching by working at hockey camps in the summers, and also helping as an assistant coach with his High School team his Senior year while he was recovering from a long-term injury. After high school, he took some time off from playing ice hockey, instead playing club inline hockey for the University of Pittsburgh. He also played elite Men’s inline for the Pittsburgh Phantoms and the Scottdale Inferno. After moving to Steamboat, He found his way into coaching again, first as an assistant with the Steamboat Wranglers, and then the following year as an assistant with the Steamboat High School program. He has also served as a Bantam AA Head Coach with the Mountain Select program for the past four seasons.

This will be Jake's fourth year coaching with SSYHA and fourth year as Head Coach of the 14U A team.

Emmett was born and raised in Minnetonka, MN where his love for hockey began. Growing up, he was always at the rink or on the pond/lake in the winter playing hockey. After graduating high school, he attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins where he played Division 3 club hockey. His senior year, he traveled around Europe for 10 days with the Division 3 club hockey all-star team. After graduating college, he then moved back to Minnesota and coached high school hockey. After 3 years of living back in Minnesota, it was time to move back to Colorado where he accepted a position with a real estate developer in Steamboat Springs. His first year in Steamboat Springs, he helped coach the 14U A team.

This will be Emmett's fourth year coaching with SSYHA and third year as Head Coach of the 12U A team.

Zach was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He grew up playing hockey in Grand Rapids until he was 16 when he got the opportunity to move to Colorado Springs, CO to play. He spent a season in Colorado Springs playing for Monument Hockey Academy U18. After that he was fortunate enough to play in Maine and Minnesota to finish off his competitive hockey career. Zach moved to Steamboat 3 years ago and jumped right into the SSYHA organization. His first season he was an assistant coach for the 15U girls team and spent his 2023-24 season as the head coach of the 10U B team. Outside of hockey Zach spends his time golfing and snowboarding.

This is Zach's third season coaching with SSYHA and first as the 12U B Head Coach.

Alexa grew up in the Adirondacks and started playing hockey at age 13. She played Division III hockey at Hamilton College and has been playing adult rec hockey for years. She is a level 5 USA Hockey Coach. Alexa has coached hockey in her home town as an Assistant to the Girls High School team for both Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. Alexa and her husband Rick grew the girls program in Steamboat Springs from one team to four starting in the early 2002. She has coached mites, squirts, girls U10 through U19 and has the first girls U19 AA state championship for Steamboat in 2010. She also plays and coaches on the Panic, a women's mountain league team. 

Matt grew up in Colorado Springs with his 4 brothers. He started playing hockey at the age of 4 and hasn’t stopped. He played club hockey for Fort Lewis College where he graduated in 2015 with a Bachelors in Exercise Science. He has lived in China, Thailand, and New Zealand while also spending time throughout Southeast Asia, Asia and the Middle East. He moved to Steamboat in 2019, and is the Kindergarten teacher at Emerald Mountain School. He was the Mites Head Coach in 2021-22, and he made the jump to 12U in 22-23. Matt will also be coaching 10U with Mountain Select this year.

This will be Matt's fourth year coaching with SSYHA and first year as Head Coach of the 10U A team.

Ryan is a native of Colorado and played his youth hockey in Littleton and Steamboat Springs. Hockey was the driving force that mapped out his path over the next 20 years. Ryan played junior hockey in the USHL for the Des Moines Buccaneers and the Tri-City Storm where he captained a regular season title winning team. From there, he played hockey for the University of Denver where he won an NCAA National Championship. In 2007, Ryan signed with the Anaheim Ducks and played professional hockey in North America and Europe for the next 11 seasons. 

Ryan returned to Steamboat every summer to run and direct Elite Hockey Training, a summer hockey camp that he founded in 2011. It has become a staple in the summer programs offered annually in Steamboat and is widely enjoyed by boys and girls ages 5-18. 

Ryan eventually returned to Steamboat full time with his wife, Sophie, and two sons, Everett and Oliver. That winter he coached the Steamboat Wranglers, a Junior Hockey team during the 2018-19 season and was the Director of Player Development for the Stampede. He took over as the Steamboat Springs youth Hockey Association Director in 2019 and has held that position ever since.

This will be Ryan's sixth season coaching with SSYHA and fourth season as Head Coach of the Mites teams.

As a Colorado native and product of the Colorado Springs Amateur Hockey Association, Jeff has spent over a quarter century in and around the rinks of Colorado in varying capacities. From playing U-18 AAA with the Pikes Peak miners, to the ACHA with both the University of Colorado and Colorado State, and eventually to Director of Goaltending development with Arapahoe Youth Hockey Association,  Jeff has played and coached at some of the highest levels offered in our great state.  With his breadth and depth of experience around the game, he is looking forward to transitioning behind the bench to encourage and develop the next generation of hockey players, and hopefully instill some of his lifelong passion for this great game.

This will be Jeff's second year coaching with SSYHA.