About ELEV802 Denver
Our Mission
ELEV802 DENVER exists for one reason, to constantly challenge and lead individuals to achieve the highest level of performance on and off the ice. We provide a safe environment for players to train and learn from professional players and coaches. Our goal is to reach as many players as possible, nationwide, by teaming up with other former professional players and staff.
ELEV802 Denver Team
Tim Hirsch
Owner / Director of Hockey Operations
thirsch@elev802.com
303-819-8246
Tim grew up playing youth hockey on Long Island and played in the ACHA for Stony Brook University. He has coached youth hockey in Colorado for the past decade and has a passion for hockey skill development. Tim is USA Hockey Level 4 certified coach and he enjoys helping kids grow on and off the ice. Tim is exited to parter with ELEV802 to bring the globally recognized brand, training philosophy and unique facility to Colorado!
Tim has worked in primary care and emergency medicine as a Physician Assistant for the past 15 years and is married with 5 kids.
mario Puskarich
Head Skills Coach & Director of Skills Programming
ELEV802 Denver is proud to welcome Coach Mario Puskarich to the ELEV802 family in his role as Head Skills Coach and Director of Skills Programing! Mario brings unrivaled experience from his career as a professional player, Tier 1 head coach and many years of skills instruction.
Born in Pittsburgh, Coach Mario grew up playing hockey in Florida until moving to Chicago at the age of 15 to play for the Chicago Young Americans (Tier 1 Elite/MWEHL). After two seasons at CYA, Puskarich went on to play two seasons for the Tri City Storm in the USHL, followed by two seasons in the BCHL for The Langley Riverman. In his second season in the BCHL, Puskarich won the Brett Hull Trophy awarded to the regular season scoring champion, while also serving as team Captain.
Following his junior career, Puskarich accepted a D1 scholarship at the University of Vermont and played under the guidance of ELEV802 President Kevin Sneddon. In his freshman season, Puskarich earned Rookie of The Year (Hockey East) and guided the Catamounts to NCAA tournament, ultimately losing to the eventual champion (Union) in the first round. Coach Mario’s leadership on and off the ice lead to him being named assistant captain in his sophomore and junior seasons and captain senior year. Four seasons at Vermont saw Puskarich score 52 goals, 65 assists totaling 117 points, becoming the first UVM player in over 20 years to hit the 50 goal & 100 point mark.
After Mario’s senior season at UVM, he signed a professional contract with the Manchester Monarchs of the (ECHL). Puskarich found success right away and helped the Monarchs to the conference finals, ultimately losing in game 7. The next two seasons saw Puskarich make the move to Europe, playing for Medvescak Zagreb in the (EBEL). After two seasons in Croatia, Puskarich joined the Manchester Storm in the (EIHL) playing out of Manchester, England.
After the 2020-2021 EIHL season was canceled due to the covid pandemic, Puskarich moved to Colorado and joined the staff of the Colorado Rampage as the Director of 365 Hockey Performance Academy, Director of Hockey Personnel, Enrichment Coordinator, and Associate Coach of 15U/16U/18U AAA in the Tier 1 Elite League. During the 2023-2024 season, Coach Mario continued to lead the Rampage 365 Hockey Performance Academy, was Director of Recruiting and was the Head coach of the 13U AAA team.
Hannah Westbrook
Skills Instructor
Hannah joins ELEV802 Denver as a skills instructor! Hannah’s impressive resume makes her a great addition to the team and an asset to our players.
Playing Career
Professional stints in Australia, Finland, and Sweden
NCAA Division 1 player at the University of Vermont
USA National Camp and Rocky Mountain District Camp attendee
Coaching and Management Experience
2022-Present: Colorado Avalanche Female Hockey Ambassador
2021-Present: Hockey Director, Colorado 14ers, Littleton, CO
2021-Present: Owner, NA3HL Wausau Cyclones, Wausau, WI
2020-2021: Hockey Director, Colorado Select Girls Hockey Association, Littleton, CO
2019-2020: Assistant General Manager & Head Skills Coach, LA Junior Kings, Beijing, China
2016-2019: Assistant Hockey Director & U19AAA Head Coach, North American Hockey Academy
2015-2016: Head Coach, Team Colorado 14AAA & Colorado Select 14AA
2013-2014: Assistant Coach, Australia U18 National Team
Jacksen Appelquist
Goalie Instructor
Jacksen is originally from Mahomet, Illinois and started his playing career with the Champaign Chiefs. After his freshman year he traveled away from home to play in Marquette, Michigan for the Electricians. After Marquette he moved back to Illinois to complete his high school education in the Chicago area graduating from Crystal Lake South in 2017, while playing for the North West Chargers. Jacksen was able to play Three seasons for the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (ACHA DIII). During his time at UCCS he was able to be the President of the club team, as well as being the President of the Club Sports Committee at the University.
Coach Jacksen has 10+ years of coaching experience in Colorado and the Chicagoland area. He has experience coaching both novice and advanced clients (A,AA,AAA, NAHL, College).
