Brian Gionta is a retired American professional ice hockey player. He was born in Rochester, New York. Gionta is known for his speed, skill, and leadership on the ice.

Gionta began his hockey career at Boston College, where he played four seasons from 1997 to 2001. During his time at Boston College, he was a standout player, earning All-American honors in his senior year.

After college, Gionta was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the third round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut with the Devils in 2001 and quickly established himself as a skilled forward. In 2003, Gionta helped lead the Devils to a Stanley Cup championship, scoring a crucial goal in Game 7 of the Finals.

Gionta played for the Devils for seven seasons before signing as a free agent with the Montreal Canadiens in 2009. He played for the Canadiens for five seasons and was named team captain in 2010. Gionta then played for the Buffalo Sabres for three seasons and finished his NHL career with the Boston Bruins in 2018.

In addition to his NHL career, Gionta also represented the United States in international competition. He played in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and was named team captain for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Gionta helped lead the United States to a bronze medal in the 2018 Olympics.

After retiring from hockey, Gionta has remained involved in the sport. He served as a player development coach for the Sabres and Division 1 Niagara University. He also worked as a television analyst for the NHL Network. Gionta has also been active in the Rochester community, where he founded the Gionta Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports youth sports and education programs.

Sleasman (Gagliardi) joins the Rochester Jr. Americans staff after an impressive hockey career, both as a player and recently as a coach. Raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, Gagliardi is one of the first women from Raleigh to become a professional ice hockey player.

In 2015, Gagliardi joined the Boston Pride of the new National Women’s Hockey League. That season, Gagliardi was selected to participate in the first ever NWHL All-Star Game. The Pride would win the inaugural Isobel Cup, the championship of the NWHL. Prior to her professional career, Gagliardi played NCAA college hockey at Cornell University. During her four years with the team, she accumulated 89 points with the Big Red and was a part of four ECAC championship teams. She would serve as assistant captain for the team in her junior year, and co-captain in her senior year.

Most recently in 2019, she was hired by the Carolina Hurricanes where she organized and lead women’s hockey initiatives and grassroots efforts in the Carolinas. Gagliardi also developed season-long curriculum focused on technical and tactical on-ice development.

In 1999-2000 Stephen was a member of the original Rochester Junior A Americans where he was named to the NAHL All-Star Game at the age of 16 before he continued on to Ann Arbor, MI. There he played for the US National Development program for two years, achieving the best face-off percentage at the U18 World Championships. Stephen attended four years at Boston College making the Hockey East all-academic team, two Frozen Four appearances, one of those a National Championship, and had the honor of being an assistant captain his senior year. Upon graduating from BC, although undrafted, Stephen went on to have a 13-year professional career playing in over 700 games. While in the AHL he served as captain for both the Lowell and Albany Devils. He played over 300 games in the NHL with both the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders. In 2012 he was a member of the New Jersey Devils team that made it to the Stanley Cup Finals where he had 7 points in 24 playoff games as a 4th line center. The following year he was a member of the 2013 US World Championship team that won bronze. Currently, Gionta is a pro scout with the Tampa Bay Lightning and is a two-time Stanley Cup Champion as a part of the hockey ops department.

John has spent the better part of the past 15 years involved in hockey in Western and Central New York. He was part of the 2002 Syracuse Nationals Coaching Staff that produced 7 NCAA D1 players and 3 NHL Draft Picks.

Katie is a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics and owner of private practice Katie Vaughn Nutrition located in Rochester, NY. Her desire to work with active individuals and athletes started when she became a competitive runner at a young age.

Katie has a master’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from D’Youville College in Buffalo, NY. She is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Functional Strength Coach, and a Metabolic Efficiency Training Specialist. As a nutrition coach, Katie specializes in enhancing health and improving performance by creating customized nutrition programs based on an athlete’s sport, training cycle, health and performance goals using science-based nutrition strategies.

Katie has worked with all ages and abilities of athletes including high schoolers/juniors, recreationally active adults, D1 collegiate athletes, elite and professional athletes including endurance/ultra-endurance, lacrosse, hockey, Crossfit and strength athletes, wrestling, MMA, track and field, as well as working with police and military personnel.

Being a Sports Dietitian, athlete and coach, Katie understands the challenges that come with trying to figure out the right day-to-day fueling plan to improve overall body composition and performance. By using a very tailored approach she is able to empower her clients to be the best version of themselves— fit, strong, active, energized, focused, time efficient, and driven to succeed in all that they do.

Dr. Russ Manalastas is a board certified sports physical therapist and performance coach who focuses on rotational sport athletes, especially hockey players. He owns and operates MANA Performance Therapy, which is a privately owned company that is geared to empower, educate, and enhance the recovery journey of all athletes. He oversees all the return to sport and reconditioning aspects of injured athletes to ensure they are returning at the appropriate time, all while reducing the likelihood of the injury occurring again. He has worked with athletes of all ages and skill levels from middle school to the professional ranks and utilizes his hands-on rehab and training approach to maximize recovery and minimize time away from sport.