Hockey Operations

Justin Hale was named Head Coach for the Philadelphia Rebels Inaugural Season on June 2, 2022.

Hale spent the last 3 seasons as an assistant coach for the Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) where he coached the forward group and the penalty kill. In each of his three seasons in Dubuque, Hale led the Fighting Saints to a top-five offense. His offenses combined to score just under four goals per game over those three seasons. Under Hale’s guidance, nine Fighting Saints became NHL Draft Picks and 51 players landed Division I commitments.

Hale served as the coaching staff’s academic liaison to the team by piloting daily “Saints School” sessions and conducting grade checks with the players. Dubuque had one USHL Scholar Athlete and seven USHL All-Academic Team selections during Hale’s time with the organization.

Hale joined Dubuque after serving as the Assistant Coach, Director of Player Personnel, and Goaltending Coach for the Lone Star Brahmas in the NAHL. With the Brahmas, Hale was influential in the development of 24 Division I players and one NHL Draft selection.

Before Lone Star, Hale was an Assistant Coach, Video Coordinator, and Goaltending Coach for Bemidji State University. In 2016-17, with Hale on the staff, the Beavers won the MacNaughton Cup, WCHA regular season title and finished with a record of 22-16-3.

Prior to Bemidji State, Hale’s first experience coaching at the Tier I level came as a Volunteer Assistant with the Madison Capitols (USHL).

During his playing career, Hale was a four-year letter-winning defenseman at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. While at UWSP, the Pointers earned NCAA Division III runner-up accolades in 2014 and 2015. During those two seasons, UWSP amassed a total of 74 victories, which included a pair of 20-win seasons.

Hale earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance, and an Economics minor from UW-Stevens Point in the spring of 2015.

Matt Gaudreau joins the Rebels as an Assistant Coach after a year serving the same role for the Philadelphia Hockey Club’s teams in the NCDC and USPHL Premier. 

Gaudreau had a distinguished playing career that took him from the Philadelphia Little Flyers to Hockey East to the American Hockey League. 

By the end of a two-year USHL career with the Omaha Lancers, Gaudreau played in over 100 games at the Tier I Junior level. After Junior hockey, the New Jersey native played four years for Boston College teaming up with his older brother, Johnny, during Matt’s freshman season.

After his time at Boston College, Gaudreau spent parts of four seasons in the American Hockey League and the East Coast Hockey League. Gaudreau played a total of 21 AHL games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and the Stockton Heat. Most of his professional career was spent at the ECHL level where he totaled 35 goals and 100 points in 127 games played. In the 2019-20 season, Gaudreau recorded over a point per game with the Reading Royals (11G, 29A, 40P, 38 GP).

During the 2021-22 season, Gaudreau transitioned to coaching, joining the staff for Hollydell Ice Arena’s Philadelphia Hockey Club.

Gaudreau is back for his second year as an assistant for Justin Hale.

George Bosak joins the Rebels staff as the Goaltending Coach with a lengthy resume. Since a stint as the Princeton University Goaltending Coach from 2005-2007, Bosak has coached at five different levels.

After Princeton, Bosak made a one-year stop to hold the same position at Arizona State University.

In the last five years, Bosak has coached all around the New Jersey and Philadelphia area, including a stop with the Philadelphia Hockey Club’s USPHL Premier and NCDC teams in 2020-21. 

Each of the last three seasons, Bosak coached the goaltenders for the New Jersey Titans of the NAHL. In the 2021-22 regular season, the Titans allowed the sixth fewest goals in the league under Bosak and had a goaltender in the top-10 in save percentage.

Bosak returned to Hollydell Ice Arena in 2022-23 to lead the Rebels goaltending corps as the Goaltending Coach under Head Coach Justin Hale.

Derek Settlemyre joins the Rebels staff as the Equipment Manager for the team’s Inaugural Season.

Settlemyre has over 20 years of experience working at the NHL and AHL levels as an Equipment Manager, almost exclusively with the Philadelphia Flyers and Philadelphia Phantoms.

He became the Flyers Head Equipment Manager in the 2006-07 season and held the position until the end of the 2019-20 season.

Prior to that, Settlemyre spent 10 seasons in the same position for the Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL).

In his career, Settlemyre has also served as the Equipment Manager for Team USA four times including two World Championships, the 2010 Olympics and the World Cup of Hockey.

Jennifer Smith joins the Rebels in 2022-23 as the team’s Head Athletic Trainer.

Smith is a 2010 graduate of Rowan University with her Bachelors degree in Athletic Training. She has worked with the Rowan University Ice Hockey teams (Men and Women) since 2018 and can still be seen covering their games while the Rebels are not playing at home this season.

Smith has been the Head Athletic Trainer at Pitman High School in Pitman, NJ since August of 2010. Over the last 13 years, Smith has provided Athletic Training services for youth sports through college and adult leagues.

“I look forward to the opportunity to help build the Rebels program at Hollydell in association with Cooper University Health Systems,” Smith said.

In her spare time, Smith serves as a Volunteer Firefighter and Lieutenant with the Deptford Fire Department.