Spiros Anastas was named the fourth head coach in Brampton Beast history, replacing Colin Chaulk who accepted a job as the assistant coach of the Belleville Senators in June.
At 34, he is one of the youngest coaches in the ECHL this season. Originally from Mississauga, Ont., Anastas is confident in the team the Beast have built after his hiring in July.
However, the Canadian with a Greek background hopes to benefit from the good relationship the club has with their affiliate clubs – the Ottawa Senators and Belleville Senators.
“We are really excited about the team we’ve built,” Anastas said. “Our relationship with the Ottawa Senators and Belleville Senators is a great one and we expect a number of players to be sent to us for development. With the addition of those bodies, we believe we will have a deep roster.”
Expectations for this season are high as the Beast made it to the Kelly Cup playoffs last year, and Anastas recognizes the goal is to repeat that playoff appearance as well as his player’s development.
“Our number one expectation is to develop great athletes and people for the Ottawa Senators organization and for the individuals themselves”, he said. “But, we are also in this to win and believe we will be serious contenders for our division, the conference, and eventually the Kelly Cup.”
The Toronto native spent the last season as head coach and director of hockey operations of the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. He led the Stingrays to third place in the South Division before losing in round one of the playoffs.
In the 2017-18 season he coached at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, along with coaching the Estonian national team for the Baltic Cup, the World U18 championships, and the world juniors (Under-20).
Anastas has also spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins, the affiliate for the Detroit Red Wings.
The Beast kick off the new season on Oct. 12 against the Toledo Walleyes.
Get to know more about Anastas in the video below from Centennial Sports.