BRYN ATHYN, Pa. – Bryn Athyn College men's ice hockey head coach Andrew Burke has announced his coaching staff that will join him on the bench for the Lions' first season of NCAA Division III competition Thursday.
Burke, who is going into his fifth season as the Lions' head coach, will be assisted by Joe Deptula, Thomas Seravalli, and Justin Grevious.
Deptula is back for his second season alongside Burke. Prior to joining the Bryn Athyn coaching staff, he was the head coach of the Billings Bulls of the North American 3 League (NA3HL) for the 2014-15 season. The Bulls went 25-16-6 and reached the NA3HL playoffs, falling in the division semifinals. He started out as an assistant coach for the Bulls for two seasons—overseeing recruitment, player development, and player placement—before earning the promotion. His three-year tenure with the Bulls resulted in numerous NCAA commitments, NAHL tenders, and NAHL call-ups.
Deptula, a defenseman, started his playing career in the Atlantic Junior Hockey League from 2005 until 2008. Deptula played for six teams during his three years in the league, racking up five goals, 19 assists, and 310 penalty minutes. He appeared in the playoffs with the Walpole Express in 2007 and the Philadelphia Little Flyers in 2008. Deptula moved on to Western New England College (WNEC) from 2008 through 2012. A four-year starter and two-time team captain, Deptula helped lead the Golden Bears to the Eastern College Athletic Conference Northeast playoffs three times. A 2012 graduate with a degree in business management, Deptula had nine goals and nine assists during his time at WNEC.
Seravalli is going into his first season as a coach after wrapping up his playing career. He was a forward at Nazareth College from 2012 until 2015. In his three seasons with the Golden Flyers, Seravalli posted 18 goals and 33 assists in 75 career games. He was second on the team in scoring with a career-high 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) during the 2013-14 season. He graduated from Nazareth in 2015 with a business administration degree. Before playing college hockey, Seravalli spent the 2009-10 season with the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers U18 team, tallying six goals and 16 assists in 45 games.
Grevious is in his first season as the Lions' goaltender coach and brings seven years of coaching experience to the bench. He has been the head coach of the Philadelphia Revolution U19 Elite Team since the 2014-15 season. Last season, Grevious led the U19 Elite Squad to a 39-12-2-2 overall record and the Eastern Hockey League Elite championship, the first team to win a league title. He was a finalist for the league's coach of the year award. Grevious was nominated for the Eastern States Hockey League Coach of the Year as the coach of the Jr. B ESHL program in 2011-12 and the Revolution Empire in 2013-14.
Bryn Athyn begins the 2017-18 season on Friday, Oct. 27 at Saint Anselm at 6 p.m.