Jonak and Tremblay added to Firebirds’ staff

The Flint Firebirds, announced a pair of additions to its staff this week.

Yesterday, General Manager Terry Christensen announced the hiring of Petr Jonak, a second assistant coach who will join Head Coach John Gruden and his assistant Dave Karpa, both former NHL veterans, behind the Firebirds’ bench this season.

A native of Czech Republic, Jonak comes to the Firebirds with an extensive hockey background of his own and also a pedigree as part of a family of legend in Czech hockey circles.

“We are extremely excited to have Jonak as a member of our coaching staff,” said Christensen in a press release on the Firebirds’ team site. “He brings a diverse background to our club. Whether it be his ability to develop individual player skills both on and off the ice or the level of knowledge that he’ll bring to our special teams game, Petr will be a huge asset.”

Today, it was coach Gruden’s turn to make an announcement as he added veteran strength and conditioning specialist Rich Tremblay to the staff.

In addition to working with the Firebirds, Tremblay is the owner and Head Strength and Conditioning Coach of Athlete Strength and Performance (ASP), a 3,200 sq. ft. facility located just north of Detroit, Michigan. He is most recognized for training over 140 athletes at ASP that include more than 100 hockey players annually.

“We are excited to add Rich and his diverse background to the Flint Firebirds Hockey club,” Gruden said on the team’s website. “Having a full-time strength and conditioning coach to work with our players is one of the most crucial aspects to the future success of our program and we couldn’t be happier to have him on board.”

Tremblay will be in charge of physical testing and evaluation at the team’s training camp later this summer and will also be responsible for the team’s overall strength and conditioning programs throughout the season.

These are just the latest pair of staff added in a busy summer for the Firebirds.

Earlier the team announced Dominic Hennig as the team’s Director of Broadcasting and Communications. Hennig who will be the radio, streaming and pay per view voice of the team comes to the Firebirds from Ferris State University where he was the radio play by play broadcaster.

A couple of weeks later, Karpa, a one-time defense partner for Gruden at Ferris State University who went on to a decade plus in the NHL with stops in Quebec, Carolina, Anaheim and New York (Rangers).

In 2010, Karpa was the head coach of the JSerra Catholic High School hockey team that represented the state of California in the USA Hockey National Championship for the first time in school history.

Also at the beginning of June, the team announced the addition of Susana Castaneda as the team’s Director of Community Relations and Marketing.

“Susana has been an integral part of our start-up process,” said Flint Firebirds President, Costa Papista in a team press release. “She brings a unique combination of event management and entrepreneurial skills to our organization. We’re glad to have her formally join the team.”

“I’m excited to be a part of this great start-up project for our community,” Wight said. “I’ve loved the game of hockey ever since I attended my first NHL game in Los Angeles in the early nineties. I look forward integrating our team into the fabric of our great community.”