2026 Team Coaches Announcement

A Montréal native with over 25 years of coaching and officiating experience, Hugh Deraps is a cornerstone of player development at Ice Zoo. From coaching Victorian state sides to officiating international fixtures, Hugh’s expertise is as broad as it is deep. Trained under the elite EHS programme in Vancouver, he brings world-class technical insights to our grassroots and competitive programmes alike, ensuring the “Ice Zoo way” is built on a foundation of wisdom and skill.

Victoria (Vic) started playing hockey on ice as an adult and recently finished competing in the women’s league. Still learning and growing in the sport, Vic has the privilege of being coached by the best and is eager to pass on that knowledge and passion.

New to coaching, Vic will bring her TAFE teaching skills to hockey by breaking down skills, building confidence, and, most importantly, having fun while fostering teamwork both on and off the ice.

Matt moved over from the USA and has over 30 years of hockey experience as a player and coach. He was a member of the 2001 Illinois high school state championship team and played 6 seasons in the AIHL, where he appeared in 100 games and averaged 1 point per game. In 2010, Matt finished in the top 3 for AIHL MVP voting. Beyond hockey, he also served as Head of Junior Development for Pitterwater Baseball.

Sasha began his ice hockey journey at the age of five, starting with Blacktown. Progressing through the ranks, Alexander reached the pinnacle of representing the Blacktown AIHL Ice Dogs. His talent and dedication earned him the honour of representing Australia in the Asia Oceanic Cup for several consecutive years.

Sasha’s career highlights include a season with the prestigious Central Red Army Moscow Junior Under-21s team, where he honed his skills alongside top-tier players. Currently, Alexander is an integral member of the Ice Zoo Hockey Club, continuing his passion for the sport and bringing a wealth of experience to his team.

Peter Augoustis, Canadian-born and an Australian citizen, has been a cornerstone of the Canterbury Ice Hockey community for over 18 years. A Level 2 accredited Ice Hockey Australia coach, he has guided Peewee, Bantam, and Midget teams to multiple championships, taken men’s squads to overseas tournaments, and proudly seen many of his players progress to professional hockey both in Australia and abroad.

Beyond the rink, Peter is the co-founder of Crust Pizza and Zeus Street Greek, and the founder of Divide 8 Pizza—an award-winning, community-centric brand recognised as a preferred first employer for under-18s. His entrepreneurial success reflects his passion for mentorship, teamwork, and building pathways for young people.

A father of three, Peter’s proudest hockey achievement is playing alongside athletes he first coached as children—a testament to his commitment to developing players for both sport and life.

Nic brings technical skating knowledge gained from competing in short track internationally, including being trained under top Canadian coaches in Montreal. In the local junior ranks, he claimed gold in all race distances at national championships each year and competed at the inaugural Junior World Championship in Seoul, Korea. Nic has international accreditation as a ski instructor and a love of going fast, which led to him becoming qualified as a FIS-accredited alpine racing coach. His vision is to deliver to the club training in skate mechanics so that the players can transform their gameplay with speed, efficiency, and technical excellence in the skating elements of the game.

Alec has over a decade of experience in the AIHL, won a gold medal with the U18 Australian Team and represented the U20 Australia Team. In 2013, he was a member of the Goodall Cup-winning Sydney Ice Dogs. With over 25 years of experience in the sport, alongside the contribution his family has made to ice hockey in Australia, he is beyond excited to help the Wolves develop and mentor the younger generation.

Geoff O’Hara has been playing and coaching for over two decades. Having competitive experience at the international level in multiple sports has led to a lifetime of personal development and learning aimed at helping any athlete at any point in their journey in sport get to the next level and potentially a level.

Born in the picturesque hills of Vernon, BC, Canada, Ashley’s passion for hockey was sparked on a homemade backyard rink, skating with an upside-down bin in hand. A move to Melbourne, Australia, replaced the rink with a pool and a makeshift cricket pitch, but the dream of hockey never faded.

His coaching journey began with the Wolves and quickly expanded to mentoring players across all junior levels.

Now a Level 2 coach, Ash was an Assistant Coach of the 2024 Gold Medal-winning NSW DeFries team. With a commitment to continuous learning from seasoned players and coaches, Ashley brings an inspiring blend of passion and expertise to help players.

Freddie has represented both Queensland and New South Wales at national ice and inline hockey championships from U11s through to men’s age groups.

At an international level, he has represented Australia at the IIHF U20 World Championships. He further developed overseas, playing three seasons in Sweden across U18, U20 and open men’s.

Since moving to Sydney in 2017, Freddie has continued to play, playing six seasons with the Sydney Sting in the East Coast Super League (ECSL), as well as three seasons in the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) between the Sydney Bears and Sydney Ice Dogs.

Orion stepped onto the ice at age 2 and began his hockey journey at 7 with the Eagles and Bears. His development included playing for the Sydney Sting on the East Coast from the age of 15 and attending a prestigious hockey camp in the Czech Republic. Orion completed year 12 at the Ontario Hockey Academy, where he competed in Major Midget U18 AA, before advancing to the United States to play Junior A hockey for the Missoula Jr. Bruins.

Gabe has competed as a goaltender in Australia’s top division, the AIHL, for over 20 years. He has won three Goodall Cups in 3 different roles, as a starter, backup, and black ace. Internationally, he has represented Australia at the inaugural Trans-Tasman Series and multiple IIHF Inline World Championships.

Transitioning to coaching, Gabe has worked extensively within the NSW program, having coached through every age group. He has also been invited to participate in several IHA National Camps. Gabe spent 6 years with the Australian Women’s U18 program, leading goaltending at national camps and travelling with the team to a Gold medal finish and a promotion at the IIHF World Championships.

He is currently the Goaltending / Video Coach for the Sydney Ice Dogs and mentors athletes through A Team Advisory on pathways to North American College hockey.