Portland Winterhawks complete 2024-25 coaching staff

Portland, Ore. – The Portland Winterhawks are excited to announce the hiring of assistant coaches Mike Fanelli and Sven Bärtschi, as well as goaltending coach Travis Hoy. Both Fanelli and Bärtschi will join recently-named head coach Kyle Gustafson on the Portland bench for the 2024-25 season.

“We’re very fortunate to have Mike, Sven, and Travis in Portland. They all bring great knowledge to our coaching staff in their own ways,” Winterhawks Head Coach Kyle Gustafson said. “Mike has been in the NHL circles, worked with the games’ top players and gained a lot of valuable experience during Edmonton’s recent cup run. Sven has played the game at the highest level, knows our culture, and is eager work with our group. I look forward to learning from Travis as he works closely with our goalies.”

Fanelli, 29, brings a wealth of NHL experience to Portland. He recently served as the Edmonton Oilers Video & Coaching Analytics Coordinator during the 2023-24 season and won two Stanley Cup championships while working for the Tampa Bay Lightning in its analytics department from 2017 to 2021.

The Jacksonville, Florida native spent two years as an assistant coach of the United States Hockey League’s (USHL) Sioux City Musketeers from 2021-2023. He helped coach the Musketeers to a Clark Cup Championship during the 2021-22 campaign. Fanelli played college hockey at the University of South Florida from 2012-17 and served as the program’s associate coach during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.

Bärtschi, 31, joins the Winterhawks coaching staff after enjoying 11 years of professional hockey and two memorable years as a WHL player in the Rose City. The Bern, Switzerland native most recently skated for his hometown SC Bern during the 2022-23 season. Before his one-year stint overseas, Bärtschi dressed in over 500 combined NHL/AHL games from 2012 to 2022 with the Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, and Vegas Golden Knights organizations.

While playing in Portland for Mike Johnston and Kyle Gustafson, Bärtschi helped lead the Winterhawks to back-to-back WHL Finals appearances in 2011 and 2012. He served as the club’s alternate captain during the 2011-12 campaign and ranked second on the team with 94 points in just 47 games. Bärtschi was recognized as a WHL Western Conference Second Team All-Star in 2012 and he led the Hawks in playoff scoring with 34 points in 22 postseason contests.

Hoy joins the Winterhawks staff after spending the last seven seasons as the Vernon Vipers goaltending coach in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). The Vernon, B.C. native also served as a goaltending development coach for RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) since 2021, developing dozens of elite goaltenders each season.

“We are excited to add Michael, Sven, and Travis to Kyle’s coaching staff,” Winterhawks President and General Manager Mike Johnston echoed. “This group gives a diversity of skill sets from the pro experience Sven has had as a player to the success that Michael and Travis have had working with NHL players. We take pride in assembling a staff which will have a focus on player development. I am excited about the impact this group can have on our young team”

The Winterhawks open their 2024-25 season in Kamloops on Friday, September 20, before hosting the Victoria Royals at Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Friday, October 4 for their home opener.

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