The Calgary Flames added four new names to their hockey operations group on Tuesday morning, just as the preseason ramp-up starts to pick up speed ahead of prospects training camp later this week.
The new hires are Justin Warsylewicz as massage therapist, Mike Antone Jr. as video coordinator, Dusty Nickel as emergency backup goalie, and Dean Seymour as player development/skills consultant.
Warsylewicz brings a background that goes well beyond hockey. He represented Canada in speed skating at the 2006 Winter Olympics and won a silver medal in team pursuit. After his skating career, he moved into massage therapy and has worked with Canada’s support staff at the 2022 Summer Olympics and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Antone arrives from the Bridgeport Islanders, where he spent four seasons as the American Hockey League club’s video coordinator. Before that, he worked with the University of Minnesota Duluth men’s team as a student operations assistant from 2017 to 2020, a stretch that included two NCAA national championships.
Nickel has already been around the organization in a familiar role, serving as the Flames’ and Wranglers’ practice and emergency backup goaltender over the past few seasons. With the NHL now requiring every team to have its own EBUG traveling full-time, that part-time role has now become a permanent one.
Seymour comes in with a long resume of his own. His playing career included NCAA hockey at Northern Michigan University, where he wore the captain’s letter in his senior year, along with pro stops in the ECHL, Finland’s Liiga, Sweden’s Allsvenskan, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark.
He has also worked as a coach and skills consultant in the WHL, SJHL and PWHPA. The Flames already know him well, too, since he has been part of several development camps in recent years as a consultant.
Prospects training camp opens later this week, and main camp is set to follow next week.
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