Coaching Staff

Justin Vance is in his 13th year of coaching Ohio high school/travel hockey and is proud to be returning to the 15u AAA Cleveland Wildcats this season for his 5th year as Head Coach. He loves coaching and teaching the game at this pivotal age level where off-ice human development is just as important as on-ice skills and ability. Excited to coach talented young men who strive to be elite and to help further their playing careers on to the next level.

Brady returns for his 3rd season as an Assistant Coach for the U15AAA team. A St. Ignatius Alum and former Wildcat State Champion! Brady played his college hockey at John Carroll University. 

Alex returns for his 3rd season as an Assistant Coach for the U15 AAA team. He enjoys working on the skill development of these young men. The building of team chemistry and the relationships is what he looks forward to the most

Jeff enters his first season as Head Coach of the 16U Wildcats. Jeff comes with an extensive hockey background both playing and coaching. Jeff played Division 1 hockey for Western Michigan University and was Team Captain both his Junior and Senior years. While at Western Michigan, he was a two time recipient of the Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. After College, Jeff went on to play Professional Hockey in the AHL, IHL and ECHL. He has a passion for the game and loves working with the youth players, believing strongly about focusing on skill development, a positive attitude, creating a fun environment and being a great teammate.

Ed began his playing career with the Parma Hockey Association, then moved on to have a 4-year varsity career at St. Ignatius High School (Cleveland, OH). During his time at St. Ignatius, Eddie set school records for save percentage, goals against average, wins, and saves in a game (74). Ed moved on to junior hockey with stops with the Northern Cyclones (Nashua, NH) of the MetJHL and the Ottawa Jr. "A" Senators (Ottawa, ON, CAN) of the CCHL. In his final season with the Junior Sens, Ed backstopped the team to a playoff appearance and also earned the Fan Favorite Award and was named Co-Defensive MVP. Ed was fortunate to earn a commitment at Nazareth College (Rochester, NY) and continued his hockey career at the NCAA Division III level. Pioneering the inaugural men's hockey program for the legendary college hockey coach George Roll, Ed once again left the program as leader in every statistical goaltending category. Graduating with high honors in 2016 as a double major in finance and history, Ed achieved his lifelong goal of playing professional hockey by signing contracts with the Rochester Americans (AHL), Manchester Monarchs (ECHL) and Watertown Wolves (FHL). Following a year and a half pro career, he retired from playing after his second hip surgery. For the past 4 years, Ed has coached at a variety of levels from minor hockey to high school in addition to scouting for his former junior team, the Jr. Sens. Currently, Ed is an assistant coach with St. Ignatius Prep and Cleveland Wildcats U15 in addition to coordinating the goaltending program with Wildcat Hockey. From a hockey philosophy standpoint, Ed promotes a practice and game environment that is demanding and competitive. "My goal is for the kids to challenge themselves to become better hockey players. Using my playing and coaching experience, I hope to push the kids and help them to achieve their hockey goals which develops confidence within oneself to chase and achieve goals outside the rink." Away from the ice, Ed works in personal finance as Financial Advisor with Cetera Advisor Networks. Some hobbies include playing golf and spending time with his dog, Belle.