The Sherwood Park Crusaders are happy to announce additions to the hockey operations staff.
Dylan Beston and Ryan Berlin have been named Assistant Coaches. Dylan Beston will serve as full-time Assistant Coach and Ryan Berlin will serve as Assistant Coach, Video.
Dylan Beston has coached at the professional and junior levels for the past 7 years. Spending one season as Video Coach for the Charlottetown Islanders (QMJHL) before transitioning to bench coach with Medvescak Zagreb (KHL) for 3 seasons. From 2018 to 2020, Beston worked as an assistant coach alongside Dave Cameron in Austria with the Vienna Capitals (EBEL). After 5 seasons coaching professional hockey in Europe, Beston returned to Canada working as Associate Coach and Associate General Manager of the Drayton Valley Thunder, helping lead the Thunder to an AJHL North Division finals appearance last season.
Beston earned his degree in Sports and Leisure Management at the Vierumaki Sports Institute in Finland. He has also worked with Hockey Canada, winning Gold at the Four Nations Sledge Tournament as an assistant/video coach and worked as an Assistant Coach for Team Alberta at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships.
“I am very excited to be joining the Sherwood Park Crusaders and join Evan and Adam on the hockey staff. There are a lot of things that make me excited about this organization and what their plans are for the future,” said Beston “I am looking forward to being part of the Sherwood Park community. I can’t wait to get started.”
“Dylan has a diverse background coaching at high levels and working with talented players. Through the selection process he showed his ability to present and communicate, he also has experience in the league guiding a team through the North division. He will be an integral member of our coaching staff,” said Head Coach and Associate GM Evan McFeeters
Ryan Berlin is also joining the coaching staff after three seasons coaching U18 and U16 AAA with the Knights of Columbus organization in Edmonton.
Prior to coaching, Berlin played 242 career games in the Alberta Junior Hockey League split between the St. Albert Steel and the Whitecourt Wolverines. Berlin accepted a scholarship to Princeton University where he played four seasons and captured an ECAC Championship in his final year while graduating Princeton University with Bachelor of Arts degree.
“I am ecstatic to be joining a coaching staff that strives for excellence and is committed to pushing players to the next level. Playing at an Ivey League university endowed me with experience balancing life as a student-athlete, and I look forward to contributing to the team by passing that knowledge to the players,” said Berlin
“Ryan’s experience as a player in the AJHL and in the NCAA will be a benefit to our players. He has coaching experience and is familiar with video teaching, he will be able to provide perspective to help guide our players on the path he took to Division 1 hockey,” said Head Coach and Associate GM Evan McFeeters
The Sherwood Park Crusaders would like to welcome Dylan, his wife Caitlin, and daughter Madilyn as well as Ryan and his family to the organization.
Crusaders Training Camp will open in late August and the home opener is schedule for September 16th vs the Spruce Grove Saints.