Posted on April 14, 2013 at 10:17 AM by
Johnz
The Long Island Rebels are pleased Vincent Mannetta has joined the coaching staff for the 2013-14 season and will be head coach for the '99 Bantam Major Team.
Vinnie has an extensive coaching past including both domestic and international experience. He comes to the Rebels from Long Beach Apple Core where he spent one year as coach of their squirt team and three years as head coach of the Bantam squad, Vinnie also coached with the Long Island Royals for five seasons as a member of their Pee-Wee, Bantam and Midget coaching staff. In addition to coaching, Vinnie Mannetta serves as an evaluator on Long Island for USA Hockey’s Player Development Camps, the first step toward the USA National teams.
Vinnie is not only an accomplished coach, but his playing credentials are equally impressive. A product of Long Island hockey, Vinnie played in the LIAHL during his youth career and finished off at the Junior B level with the Long Island Jr Royals. Vinnie went on to play hockey at the college level. He attended Iona College and played for the Gaels from 1992-1996, captaining the team his final two seasons. He was an ECAC Conference All-Star selection during his senior season and also received College Athlete of the Month honors that year.
There is only a select few who can say they played hockey at the professional level, and Vinnie is one of them. He was a member of Nashville Nighthawks of the Central Hockey League during the ’96-’97 season and suited up as a power forward for the Idaho Steelhounds of the WCHL in ’97-’98. Following his years in the US, Vinnie skated professionally in Milano, Italy during the ’98-‘99 season. He describes his time in Italy as “an experience of a lifetime.”
The Rebels Organization welcome Vinnie to the staff and know he will be a great addition to the Bantam Major team.