Bill McCreary is in his first season as Jr. Hat Tricks head coach. A native of Southampton, Ontario, McCreary is a 9-year (2006-2015) Minor League Hockey veteran as both a player & coach.
Bill’s playing resume includes time spent with the Trenton Titans (ECHL), Huntsville Havoc (SPHL), New Mexico Scorpions (CHL) and the New Jersey Outlaws (FHL). He was part of championship teams in both Hunstville (2010) and New Jersey (2012), where he served a dual role as player-coach. Collegiately, McCreary played for Providence College (Hockey East) and Curry College (ECAC-NE).
Most recently, Bill served as the Hockey Director for the New Jersey Colonials youth program out of Mennen Arena. Bill’s other coaching stops include the Watertown Wolves (FHL), East Coast Selects-Q, Portland Junior Pirates (USPHL), North Jersey Avalanche, Seacoast Spartans and the ISS Kings.
At the youth level, Bill won National, State and International Championships. He played for Shattuck-St. Mary’s Prep in Minnesota where he was linemates with current Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise. He played junior hockey for the Texas Tornado (NAHL) and amassed 45 goals and 71 assists in 98 games. He was named to the All-Rookie team and a First Team All-Star that season.
McCreary has a long family history of hockey players, coaches, and General Managers. His grandfather Bill McCreary Sr., great uncle Keith McCreary, father Bill McCreary Jr. and relatives Ron and Bob Attwell played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He is also related to Bill McCreary, a Hall of Fame inductee as an on-ice official in the NHL, as well as his son Mike McCreary, who officiates minor league hockey.
As an added note, Bill has also been named Hockey & Coaching Director of the Western Colonials Youth Hockey program.
Patrik Stefan is in his first season as Jr. Hat Tricks head coach. A native of Pribram, Czechia, was the first overall pick in the National Hockey League draft in 1999 and played 455 games across seven seasons in the NHL for the Atlanta Thrashers and the Dallas Stars. He represented the Czech Republic at the IIHF’s World Junior Championships in 1998 and at the World Championships in 2006, claiming a silver medal at the World Championships.
Stefan worked as a certified NHL player agent from 2007-2021. Over those years, he represented Pavel Zacha, the 6th overall pick for the New Jersey Devils in 2015, Michael Neuvirth, drafted by the Washington Capitals in the 2nd round of the 2006 draft, and many other junior, collegiate, and professional players.
He was the head coach of the Little Caesers U15 Midget team, claiming a National Championship in 2019. Players on that team included Luke Hughes, currently playing at the NCAA DI level with the University of Michigan, Jack O’Brien, and his own son James, both currently playing for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks.
Matt Voity is in his third season with the Danbury Hat Tricks organization. He served as Head Coach of the Jr. Hat Tricks for two seasons, and now serves as the organization's goaltending director. He has been responsible for bringing Latvian World Junior goaltender Patriks Berzins into the organization and getting multiple goaltenders from the FPHL Hat Tricks to the American Hockey League.
Voity was previously the goaltending coach for the Danbury Mad Hatters of the EPHL for the 2008-2009 Season.
He then worked in NCAA Division I with the AIC Yellow Jackets from 2011-2014, and again from 2016-2019. He worked with the University of Massachusetts from 2014–2016.
Voity earned his Bachelor’s Degree in psychology from Western Connecticut State University in 2003, where he was a goalie for the school’s club hockey team.
Tyler Noseworthy serves as an assistant coach for the Danbury Hat Tricks this season. He is also the head coach for Danbury's junior team in the North American Tier III Hockey league.
The 31-year-old, who played forward in the ECHL and SPHL, helped the Danbury Whalers win the FPHL championship in 2012-13. Noseworthy had a pro career high with 50 points (23 goals, 27 assists) in 34 games that season and added 10 points (five goals, five assists) in six playoff games.
Bob Thornton is in his first season as Director of Player Personnel bringing 18 years of experience in junior hockey and u15/16/18 hockey as a director and coach. He spent nine straight seasons with the New Jersey Rockets junior program sending numerous players to Division 1 hockey and eight of his alumni onto the NHL. He then moved onto the PAL Islanders u16/u18 teams for four seasons making two straight trips to the u18 USA Hockey Nationals.
Bob also serves the director of the Westchester Express u15/16/18 program, recruits for the NY Apple Core in nearby Brewster NY for Steve Santini and will continue in that role moving forward.
Eric Conway is in his first season as Assistant Director of Scouting, bringing eight years of youth hockey and junior hockey coaching experience to Danbury. He has spent four years with the PAL Islanders u14/16/18 teams, along with 1 year as Head Coach of their NCDC team. Eric made two trips to the u18 USA national tournament.
Eric is currently the head coach of the Westchester Express u18 and u15 teams. This is his fourth year with the Express. He also scouts for the Lincoln Stars USHL. Eric’s knowledge of the player pool is extensive and will continue to attract high end talent to the NAHL team.
Chris Lynch is the Director of Communications and Play-By-Play broadcaster for the Danbury Hat Tricks. He completed his Masters in Sports Radio and Communications at Iona University and originated WICR's broadcasts of Iona Gaels Men's Basketball.
Chris called Play-By-Play for multiple Iona and Boston University games postseason games across many teams and sports in his graduate and undergraduate tenures in New Rochelle and Boston. He also called games for the JWHL, Boston Pride, and Boston Junior Bruins. He hails from West Hartford, Connecticut.
