Men's Ice Hockey 7/22/2026 10:22:00 AM Calvin Bush

Steel Announce Hockey Operations Staff Additions

Casey Mignone named Assistant Coach; Amy Sternberg, Jeff Heinzer and Kristen Schimel join staff

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — The Chicago Steel announced the addition of four key hockey operations staff members Tuesday, including the hiring of Casey Mignone as Assistant Coach.

Additionally, the team announced the hiring of Amy Sternberg as Athletic Trainer, Jeff Heinzer as Equipment Manager and Kristen Schimel as Housing Coordinator.

Mignone joins the Steel after spending one season as Associate Head Coach of the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Prior to his time in Muskegon, Mignone spent two seasons with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Men's Hockey team as an assistant coach, including a 110 goals-for season in 2023-2024, the most goals for the Nanooks in a single season since 2013-2014.

Mignone's playing career featured two seasons at Lebanon College and his final two at Westfield State College. He appeared in 100 NCAA Division III contests and produced 80 total points. Upon graduating, he continued his career at the professional level, competing in the Federal Hockey League (FHL), Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL), and the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) during a season overseas. In his final season of professional hockey in 2013-2014, Mignone won the FHL Championship with the Dayton Demonz, where he ranked second on the team in points during their championship run.

Following his time as a player, Mignone served as an assistant coach with the Johnson & Wales University Wildcats for two years. He then moved to the junior hockey ranks as Head Coach and General Manager of the NA3HL's Rochester Grizzlies for one season. Following his time in Rochester, he advanced to the North American Hockey League (NAHL), where he spent four total seasons in leadership roles with both the St. Cloud Norsemen as Associate Head Coach and with the Chippewa Steel as General Manager and Head Coach for two years.

Amy Sternberg is a graduate of The State University of New York at Buffalo where she received both her bachelor's and master's degrees. Most recently, Sternberg served as the Assistant Athletic Trainer for the Rochester Americans in the AHL for the past two seasons. Prior to working for the Amerks, Sternberg was an athletic training student intern with the organization's hockey performance staff during the 2023-24 season.

Jeff Heinzer most recently served as Equipment Manager for the Lone Star Brahmas in the NAHL after working in the AHL with the Texas Stars as an Equipment Assistant for two seasons. Before his time working in professional hockey, Heinzer served in the United States Army as a Special Operations Command Infantryman.

Kristen Schimel joins the Steel as the team's new Housing Coordinator. Kristen and her family spent the last two seasons as a Steel housing family, and she will now serve in an official capacity for the club, recruiting new housing families and serving as an important liaison between host families and the organization.

The Steel will play their inaugural home opener at USG Arena inside Blackhawks Ice Center presented by Fifth Third Bank on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7:00 pm CT.

Season ticket memberships for the Chicago Steel's inaugural 2026-2027 season at USG Arena are on sale now and start at just $15 per game.

Group tickets and premium seating will go on sale on Monday, July 27.

Theme nights and giveaways will be announced soon, prior to single-game tickets being made available for purchase.

For more information, call 855-51-STEEL or visit ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com.

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