The 29-year-old Cole Harbour native was an assistant coach with the Acadia hockey Axemen for the past two seasons. Before that, he was the Axemen goalie from 2007-2011.
Effective June 1, he takes over as manager of youth hockey operations with the Penguins. He will also coach a major bantam team, part of the Penguins’ Elite AAA program, and head up the goalie development for the Pittsburgh organization.
“It’s very hard to leave,” Chiasson said. “The Valley has been a big part of my life for a long time. It’s a place I’ll always consider home.”
But, he points out, “At the end of the day, it was just too good an offer to turn down.”
Close ties to Pittsburgh
Growing up in Cole Harbour, Chiasson and Penguins captain Sidney Crosby were teammates as well as best friends.
“We met when I was six and he was five, and we grew up together,” Chiasson said. “We moved up together through minor hockey and were teammates for all but one year, when he played for Dartmouth and I was with Cole Harbour.”
Crosby may be a year younger, but he always with the older age group.
“We’re still quite close, and I consider him one of my best friends,” he said.
Crosby, he said, helped him get his foot in the door the first time.
“We’re still best friends, and this will mean I’ll get to see him a bit more, and watch him play in person,” he said.
“It’s amazing what a big star he’s become, but he hasn’t changed since we were kids. He’s stayed so humble and rooted, down to earth. It’s been neat to follow his career, and it’s nice to have had him as a friend all these years.”
Hockey history
After finishing midget, Chiasson played a season with the Pictou County Crushers.
“It was their first season. I enjoyed that year. It was one of my most memorable years,” he says.
He then followed Crosby to the Rimouski Oceanic.
“My first year there was Sid’s first year in Pittsburgh,” says Chiasson, who played there for a year-and-a-half before returning to Pictou County to close out his junior career.
By then, he had committed to Acadia to study and play for the Axemen.
“I committed in December of my 20-year-old season in Rimouski,” he said. “I made my decision mid-season, which is kind of a rare thing these days.”
Asked how he came to choose Acadia, Chiasson said his experience in Pictou County helped lead him to Wolfville.
“Troy Ryan, my head coach my 18-year-old year in Pictou County, had been an assistant at Acadia. He used to bring me along to the celebrity hockey dinners. I guess I fell in love with the place,” he said.
When the time came, Acadia was where he wanted to be.
“Timing-wise, it was great, because Acadia needed a goalie. It’s the best decision I ever made,” he said.
Chiasson played four years at Acadia, and for much of that time, was the Axemen number-one goalie. He also received some great coaching from Darren Burns, Mike Alcoe and others, which he says influenced his decision to become a coach.
In the fall of 2011, Chiasson took a job in Pittsburgh in youth hockey development, similar to what he’ll be doing after June 1, “but with not as much on-ice stuff. The new job will have more responsibility attached to it.”
He spent two seasons in Pittsburgh before returning to Wolfville and the Axemen.
On the bench
The past two seasons, Chiasson was assistant head coach, technical director for Acadia Minor Hockey and the unofficial Axemen goaltending coach.
“I realized (coaching) was what I was passionate about,” he said. “It was great to come back and coach guys like (Evan) Mosher, who is now playing pro.“
His parents, regular visitors to Wolfville during his playing and coaching days, retired to Wolfville last spring.
“So now, when I come home, it’ll be here,” he adds.
Chiasson is excited at the opportunity to work in Pittsburgh again.
“I had decided I wanted to stay involved with hockey as my career. I got to work here, and now to work for one of the best NHL organizations is like a dream come true,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to it, and where I’ve been there before, I’ll know a little more what to expect. The Valley is hard to leave – it drew me back once before – but I’m looking forward to the challenge, and I feel I’m better prepared for it this time.”
As much as he is looking forward to Pittsburgh, Chiasson acknowledged Wolfville still has quite a pull on him.
“I’m continuing to work here, helping with spring development camps and recruiting. The off-season is as busy as the regular season around here. I’ll be able to be part of it until I have to leave,” he adds.
And when he gets to Pittsburgh, he will be able to “jump right in” to his new position.
“There’s a high performance camp two weeks after I get there, and my bantam AAA coaching starts in August.”
He will also likely get to take a Team Pennsylvania atom elite team to the Brick tournament in Edmonton in July.
“I’m looking forward to that. I’ve never been out west, except for the (CIS) nationals last year in Saskatoon.”
The 29-year-old Cole Harbour native was an assistant coach with the Acadia hockey Axemen for the past two seasons. Before that, he was the Axemen goalie from 2007-2011.
Effective June 1, he takes over as manager of youth hockey operations with the Penguins. He will also coach a major bantam team, part of the Penguins’ Elite AAA program, and head up the goalie development for the Pittsburgh organization.
“It’s very hard to leave,” Chiasson said. “The Valley has been a big part of my life for a long time. It’s a place I’ll always consider home.”
But, he points out, “At the end of the day, it was just too good an offer to turn down.”
Close ties to Pittsburgh
Growing up in Cole Harbour, Chiasson and Penguins captain Sidney Crosby were teammates as well as best friends.
“We met when I was six and he was five, and we grew up together,” Chiasson said. “We moved up together through minor hockey and were teammates for all but one year, when he played for Dartmouth and I was with Cole Harbour.”
Crosby may be a year younger, but he always with the older age group.
“We’re still quite close, and I consider him one of my best friends,” he said.
Crosby, he said, helped him get his foot in the door the first time.
“We’re still best friends, and this will mean I’ll get to see him a bit more, and watch him play in person,” he said.
“It’s amazing what a big star he’s become, but he hasn’t changed since we were kids. He’s stayed so humble and rooted, down to earth. It’s been neat to follow his career, and it’s nice to have had him as a friend all these years.”
Hockey history
After finishing midget, Chiasson played a season with the Pictou County Crushers.
“It was their first season. I enjoyed that year. It was one of my most memorable years,” he says.
He then followed Crosby to the Rimouski Oceanic.
“My first year there was Sid’s first year in Pittsburgh,” says Chiasson, who played there for a year-and-a-half before returning to Pictou County to close out his junior career.
By then, he had committed to Acadia to study and play for the Axemen.
“I committed in December of my 20-year-old season in Rimouski,” he said. “I made my decision mid-season, which is kind of a rare thing these days.”
Asked how he came to choose Acadia, Chiasson said his experience in Pictou County helped lead him to Wolfville.
“Troy Ryan, my head coach my 18-year-old year in Pictou County, had been an assistant at Acadia. He used to bring me along to the celebrity hockey dinners. I guess I fell in love with the place,” he said.
When the time came, Acadia was where he wanted to be.
“Timing-wise, it was great, because Acadia needed a goalie. It’s the best decision I ever made,” he said.
Chiasson played four years at Acadia, and for much of that time, was the Axemen number-one goalie. He also received some great coaching from Darren Burns, Mike Alcoe and others, which he says influenced his decision to become a coach.
In the fall of 2011, Chiasson took a job in Pittsburgh in youth hockey development, similar to what he’ll be doing after June 1, “but with not as much on-ice stuff. The new job will have more responsibility attached to it.”
He spent two seasons in Pittsburgh before returning to Wolfville and the Axemen.
On the bench
The past two seasons, Chiasson was assistant head coach, technical director for Acadia Minor Hockey and the unofficial Axemen goaltending coach.
“I realized (coaching) was what I was passionate about,” he said. “It was great to come back and coach guys like (Evan) Mosher, who is now playing pro.“
His parents, regular visitors to Wolfville during his playing and coaching days, retired to Wolfville last spring.
“So now, when I come home, it’ll be here,” he adds.
Chiasson is excited at the opportunity to work in Pittsburgh again.
“I had decided I wanted to stay involved with hockey as my career. I got to work here, and now to work for one of the best NHL organizations is like a dream come true,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to it, and where I’ve been there before, I’ll know a little more what to expect. The Valley is hard to leave – it drew me back once before – but I’m looking forward to the challenge, and I feel I’m better prepared for it this time.”
As much as he is looking forward to Pittsburgh, Chiasson acknowledged Wolfville still has quite a pull on him.
“I’m continuing to work here, helping with spring development camps and recruiting. The off-season is as busy as the regular season around here. I’ll be able to be part of it until I have to leave,” he adds.
And when he gets to Pittsburgh, he will be able to “jump right in” to his new position.
“There’s a high performance camp two weeks after I get there, and my bantam AAA coaching starts in August.”
He will also likely get to take a Team Pennsylvania atom elite team to the Brick tournament in Edmonton in July.
“I’m looking forward to that. I’ve never been out west, except for the (CIS) nationals last year in Saskatoon.”
