The Salmon Arm Silverbacks are proud to announce the hiring of Misko Antisin as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
“Misko knows our program inside and out and how things work in Salmon Arm,” said Salmon Arm general manager Troy Mick. “He is a player’s coach who demands the most out of his players. He knows a lot of the returning players and was a part of the recruiting class of this season’s new ‘Backs players, so the transition will be an easy one for everybody.”
The fans in Salmon Arm will know Antisin well as he was the assistant coach for the ‘Backs the last two seasons in Salmon Arm before taking on the general manager-head coach reigns in Steamboat Springs, Colorado with the ‘Backs’ Tier 3 Junior team to start this season. Antisin’s recent positions and extensive hockey experience include as an assistant coach with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks and the Westside Warriors (BCHL), assistant coach in the BC Major Midget League and his coaching experience in Switzerland.
Antisin enjoyed an 18-year career in professional hockey in Switzerland, winning three championships with three separate clubs. He played on the Swiss National team in 1992, 1993 and 1998, achieving two fourth-place rankings among the IIHF world’s best nations in 1992 and 1998. Antisin’s most recent playing accomplishments included two consecutive Allan Cups in Canadian Senior hockey – one in 2005 with Horse Lake (NPHL) and the second winning the Allan Cup with Powell River (BCHL) in 2006.
A Vancouver native, Antisin played minor hockey in that city’s Kerrisdale-Point Grey association. At 15, he joined the BCHL and played with the Cowichan Valley Capitals and then with the Kelowna Buckaroos. His last Junior stop was in Victoria where he captained the Western Hockey League Victoria Cougars. As a free agent, he then signed with the Boston Bruins for two training camps in 1984 and 1985.
“I am very excited to be back with the Silverbacks and the BCHL,” said Antisin. “It’s an honour to lead these young men to what would be their dream of possibly playing NCAA, Canadian University or pro hockey. The fans in Salmon Arm will be proud of our work ethic and community involvement.”
Antisin will make his head coach debut Thursday night as Salmon Arm travels to take on the Surrey Eagles.
Salmon Arm made a change behind the bench last Wednesday when they announced Brandon West’s removal as head coach.
