About ELEV802 Denver
Our Mission
At ELEV802 DENVER We believe great hockey development can happen across many environments. Our goal is to support Colorado hockey families by providing additional opportunities for supplemental skill development, small-area training, creativity, and confidence-building for players from all programs and backgrounds.
ELEV802 Denver Team
Tim Hirsch
Owner / Skills Instructor / Director of Hockey Operations
thirsch@elev802.com
303-819-8246
Tim grew up playing youth hockey on Long Island and played in the ACHA for Stony Brook University. He has coached youth hockey in Colorado for the past decade and has a passion for hockey skill development. Tim is USA Hockey Level 4 certified coach and he enjoys helping kids grow on and off the ice. Tim is exited to parter with ELEV802 to bring the globally recognized brand, training philosophy and unique facility to Colorado!
Tim has worked in primary care and emergency medicine as a Physician Assistant for the past 15 years and is married with 5 kids.
mario Puskarich
Skills Instructor
ELEV802 Denver is proud to welcome Coach Mario Puskarich to the ELEV802 family in his role as skills instructor! Mario brings unrivaled experience from his career as a professional player, Tier 1 head coach and many years of skills instruction.
Born in Pittsburgh, Coach Mario grew up playing hockey in Florida until moving to Chicago at the age of 15 to play for the Chicago Young Americans (Tier 1 Elite/MWEHL). After two seasons at CYA, Puskarich went on to play two seasons for the Tri City Storm in the USHL, followed by two seasons in the BCHL for The Langley Riverman. In his second season in the BCHL, Puskarich won the Brett Hull Trophy awarded to the regular season scoring champion, while also serving as team Captain.
Following his junior career, Puskarich accepted a D1 scholarship at the University of Vermont and played under the guidance of ELEV802 President Kevin Sneddon. In his freshman season, Puskarich earned Rookie of The Year (Hockey East) and guided the Catamounts to NCAA tournament, ultimately losing to the eventual champion (Union) in the first round. Coach Mario’s leadership on and off the ice lead to him being named assistant captain in his sophomore and junior seasons and captain senior year. Four seasons at Vermont saw Puskarich score 52 goals, 65 assists totaling 117 points, becoming the first UVM player in over 20 years to hit the 50 goal & 100 point mark.
After Mario’s senior season at UVM, he signed a professional contract with the Manchester Monarchs of the (ECHL). Puskarich found success right away and helped the Monarchs to the conference finals, ultimately losing in game 7. The next two seasons saw Puskarich make the move to Europe, playing for Medvescak Zagreb in the (EBEL). After two seasons in Croatia, Puskarich joined the Manchester Storm in the (EIHL) playing out of Manchester, England.
After the 2020-2021 EIHL season was canceled due to the covid pandemic, Puskarich moved to Colorado and joined the staff of the Colorado Rampage as the Director of 365 Hockey Performance Academy, Director of Hockey Personnel, Enrichment Coordinator, and Associate Coach of 15U/16U/18U AAA in the Tier 1 Elite League. During the 2023-2024 season, Coach Mario continued to lead the Rampage 365 Hockey Performance Academy, was Director of Recruiting and was the Head coach of the 13U AAA team.
Hannah Westbrook
Skills Instructor & Director of Programming
Hannah joins ELEV802 Denver as a skills instructor! Hannah’s impressive resume makes her a great addition to the team and an asset to our players.
Playing Career
Professional stints in Australia, Finland, and Sweden
NCAA Division 1 player at the University of Vermont
USA National Camp and Rocky Mountain District Camp attendee
Coaching and Management Experience
2022-Present: Colorado Avalanche Female Hockey Ambassador
2021-Present: Hockey Director, Colorado 14ers, Littleton, CO
2021-Present: Owner, NA3HL Wausau Cyclones, Wausau, WI
2020-2021: Hockey Director, Colorado Select Girls Hockey Association, Littleton, CO
2019-2020: Assistant General Manager & Head Skills Coach, LA Junior Kings, Beijing, China
2016-2019: Assistant Hockey Director & U19AAA Head Coach, North American Hockey Academy
2015-2016: Head Coach, Team Colorado 14AAA & Colorado Select 14AA
2013-2014: Assistant Coach, Australia U18 National Team
Danny Perez
Skills Instructor
Danny Perez, originally from Bloomfield, NJ, is a former NCAA Division I hockey player with the University of Maine Black Bears and later played professional hockey in both the ECHL and SPHL.
After his playing career, Danny returned to the University of Maine as an Assistant Coach and Skills Development Coach, further solidifying his expertise in player development. With a passion for mentorship and over 10 years of coaching experience, Danny has honed his ability to train athletes of all ages, skill levels, and disciplines.
Danny knows what it takes to play with the best of the best, and is deeply committed to helping athletes reach their full potential, both on and off the ice.
EXPERIENCE
Coaching Career
Current skill development coach for Okanagan Hockey Colorado program and coach for Littleton Hockey 11U AA
Former NCAA Div 1 Volunteer Assistant & Skills Coach with the University of Maine Black Bears
Developed on ice skills programs and small area sessions with NCAA and pro athletes
Experience running elite youth hockey camps
ISSA Certified Personal Trainer
Playing Career
4 years with NCAA Div. 1 University of Maine Black Bears
Pro hockey in the ECHL and SPHL
Played Jr. A in the EHL and grew up playing in New Jersey
Monkey Mind
Danny has created a mental performance platform connecting athletes with a network of mental performance coaches.
Features
Reece Diener
Power Skating and Skills Instructor
Reece joins ELEV802 Denver while pursuing her masters degree in Sport & Performance Psychology at the University or Denver.
Reece played NCAA D1 Hockey a Franklin Pierce University while earning her BS in Psychology with a focus in Sports Psychology. She went on to play professionally in Switzerland. Reece is an experienced Power Skating and Skill coach having run her own performance company since 2019 with private and small group skating and skills instruction for players age 7-18. Since 2021 she has worked throughout the US and Canada as a lead instructor with Laura Stamm Power Skating focusing on power skating with an in-depth technical approach to improve the speed, power and control of hockey players edges.
While pursuing her graduate degree, Reece is the head coach of the Colorado 14ers 10U A team!
Alex Liluchuk
Skills Instructor
Text Alex (812-774-3969) to schedule a lesson!
Alex is a former professional player with 7 years of experience and was a member of the Ukrainian National Team. He has been a skills coach since 2017 working with athletes from youth to professional, including NHL players. Alex currently collaborates closely with the Florida Panthers staff and players both on and off the ice. Alex specializes in precision skating, advanced puck skills, shooting mechanics, and high-level game awareness while integrating video analysis and performance training to deliver results at the highest level.
Jacksen Appelquist
Goalie Instructor
Jacksen is originally from Mahomet, Illinois and started his playing career with the Champaign Chiefs. After his freshman year he traveled away from home to play in Marquette, Michigan for the Electricians. After Marquette he moved back to Illinois to complete his high school education in the Chicago area graduating from Crystal Lake South in 2017, while playing for the North West Chargers. Jacksen was able to play Three seasons for the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (ACHA DIII). During his time at UCCS he was able to be the President of the club team, as well as being the President of the Club Sports Committee at the University.
Coach Jacksen has 10+ years of coaching experience in Colorado and the Chicagoland area. He has experience coaching both novice and advanced clients (A,AA,AAA, NAHL, College).
Evan Cowley
Goalie Instructor
A highly experienced and detail-oriented goaltending professional, Evan, brings nearly a decade of international playing experience across NCAA Division I and multiple professional leagues in North America and Europe. A 2013 NHL Draft pick with over 400 professional games and 60+ playoff appearances, he is recognized for his technical expertise, composure under pressure, and deep understanding of the position.
Transitioning seamlessly into coaching and mentorship, Evan is the founder of NetPotential, a goaltending development platform which utilized video analysis and mentorship to advance both the technical and mental aspects of the position for his clients. He has spent the past six years coaching and mentoring goaltenders at the youth and elite AAA levels, most recently with 2026 U16 National Championship-winning, Okanagan Hockey Colorado, where he designed and implemented a comprehensive “Building Your Net-Play System” program tailored to the individual development of U13—U18 goaltenders. All while excelling with his own playing career.
A former NCAA National Champion at the University of Denver, where he earned a degree in Economics with a Marketing minor, Evan combines high-level playing experience with strong communication, analytical, and leadership skills. He is passionate about developing complete goaltenders—technically, mentally, and personally—and is committed to creating structured, supportive environments that help athletes reach their full potential.
Billy Sancibrian
Skills Instructor & Facilities
Billy grew up in Barre, VT and was often training with Swaggy P at the first ELEV802 in Essex Junction VT! He went on to play AAA hockey for Seacoast Performance Academy and Little Caesar’s. His junior career was spent playing in the AJHL, CCHL, NCDC, and GMHL. During his time at Little Caesars he earned himself a game with the USA NTDP program.
Billy spent the ‘25-’26 season in the GMHL playing for the Northumberland Stars and West Nipissing Lynx. After training at ELEV802 Denver last summer, Billy decided to return to Denver and will be instructing skills and managing the facility!
