Santos to Windsor BioSteel
He is fresh from a championship season as the head coach of the Chatham Maroons of the Greater Ontario Jr. Hockey League. And now, Richard Santos is returning home to Windsor as the new head coach of the Under 16 boys prep team at BioSteel Sports Academy.
The 37 year old Santos replaces another Windsorite, Kyle Makaric, as the bench boss of the U16 BioSteel program, which will be made up of 2010 birth year players for the ’25-26 hockey season.
As was reported earlier by Hockey News Windsor, Makaric left his position with BioSteel to become the new assistant coach for the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League.
As for the well regarded Santos, he brings nearly 15 years of head coaching experience — from AAA to junior — to Windsor-based BioSteel.
“Richard’s championship experience, development-first mindset and proven ability to advance talented young players make him a tremendous asset to our academy,” said Eric Palazzolo, who is the director of operations at BioSteel Sports Academy. “At the same time, Kyle’s move to the OHL with Saginaw is a proud moment for us. It’s a great testament to the environment and network that we’re building … one that develops not only elite players but also great coaches who are ready for the next level.”