It's not just the head coach, but now Vancouver Giants' associate coach Adam Maglio who will not be returning to the bench this fall with the 黑马磁力-based Western Hockey League (WHL) team.
On Tuesday, the G-Men confirmed that Maglio has accepted a coaching position with EC Red Bull Salzburg in Austria and will not be back for the 2025-26 season.
鈥淚 would like to thank Ron Toigo, Pete Toigo, and the ownership group for the opportunity to work for the Vancouver Giants,鈥� said Maglio, who has been the Giants associate coach since the 2022-23 season.
鈥淚t has been a privilege over the past three seasons to work with all the staff and the players. I would like to thank the players for all of their dedication and hard work, and wish them continued success in their careers.鈥�
Maglio, 38, will join former Giants bench boss Manny Viveiros in Austria, who accepted the head coach position with Salzburg last month.
鈥淎dam is not only a great coach, but a standup human being, and he was very committed to helping develop our players both on and off the ice during his three seasons here,鈥� said Giants assistant general manager Pete Togio.
鈥淲e thank him for the time and effort he put in, and wish him the best of luck in his next chapter.鈥�
Prior to joining the Giants, Maglio was both an associate coach (2019-20) and head coach (2020-22) with the WHL's Spokane Chiefs. Before his time in the WHL, he spent four seasons with the BCHL鈥檚 Prince George Spruce Kings where he served as head coach, associate coach, and assistant coach.
In 2014-15, Maglio served as an assistant coach for the UBC Thunderbirds.
Former Giants facing off
Vancouver Giants confirmed two alumni will be facing off against one another in the Calder Cup finals that kick off Friday in Abbotsford.
Former G-Men forwards Tristen Nielsen and Justin Sourdif were teammates with the Giants for nearly two full seasons from 2018 to 鈥�20.
Nielsen, 25, is currently in his fourth professional season with the American Hockey League's Abbotsford Canucks. He has scored 14 or more goals in each of the last three regular seasons.
The Fort St. John native has four goals and six points in 18 playoff games, including a two-goal outing in Game 4 of the western conference final against the Texas Stars.
Sourdif, 23, is currently in his third professional season with the Charlotte Checkers in North Carolina.
A third-round draft pick by the Florida Panthers in 2020, the right-shot forward has been called up to play in four games with the Panthers during the last two seasons. He scored his first career NHL goal on Feb. 25 against Nashville.
The Surrey-product recorded 34 points (16G-18A) in just 43 AHL regular season games in 2024-25, and has six points so far in 12 AHL playoff games (3G-3A), including a big goal in Game 4 of the eastern conference final against the Laval Rocket.
Nielsen and Sourdif were 1-2 in team scoring in the 2019-20 season, with Nielsen scoring a career-high 30 goals and 65 points, and Sourdif finishing second with 54 points in 57 games (26G-28A).
The Canucks and Checkers will clash in Game 1 of the Calder Cup finals on Friday, June 13, in North Carolina.
Games three, four, and five (if necessary) will be played in Abbotsford on June 17, 19, and 21.
New Giant picked 6th overall
A 15-year-old from Vancouver was the most recent to receive a Giants jersey, Louis-Oscar Holowaychuk being signed to a WHL scholarship and development agreement with the G-Men this week.
The Vancouver product, who scored 50 goals in U15 league play this past season for St. George's, was the sixth overall pick in the 2025 WHL prospects draft.
The right-shot forward was named the Canadian Sport School Hockey League U15 Prep MVP after scoring 50 goals in 34 games this past season, which was 15 more goals than any other skater in the U15 Prep division. His 83 points also ranked first in the league.
鈥淲e are thrilled to see Louis-Oscar sign his scholarship and development agreement with the Vancouver Giants," said Giants assistant general manager Pete Toigo said.
"He is a big-time goal scorer with an incredibly bright future in our league.鈥�
鈥淟ouis-Oscar is an exciting young player who has a dynamic presence on the ice,鈥� added Giants director of player personnel Greg Batters.
鈥淗e鈥檚 extremely quick and has a natural ability to score goals from different areas of the ice. Our scouts Terry Bonner and Paul Tendeck were huge proponents of him.鈥�
Holowaychuk netted six shorthanded goals and nine game-winning-goals, which each tied for first in the league. He had 12 multi-goal games, including one six-goal game, one five-goal outing and three four-goal games.
For his efforts, the 5-foot-6 forward was named a U15 Prep First-Team All-Star in the B.C. division. Additionally, he was a first-team all-star at the John Reid Memorial tournament.
"I would like to thank the ownership group and the team of scouts of the Giants for selecting me in the 2025 WHL draft," Holowaychuk said.
鈥淚 am grateful for the opportunity to play in my hometown for such a respected franchise. Thank you to all of my coaches and teammates at St. George鈥檚 and the North Shore Winter Club 鈥� I would not be where I am today without the community that has supported me.鈥�
Holowaychuk is guaranteed a WHL scholarship for every year he plays in the WHL.
