meet the coaches
Casey Rooney
Casey grew up in Colorado Springs playing for Pikes Peak Tigers hockey program. He then moved to Minnesota to play for High School at Hill-Murray. Casey then played one year of juniors for East Metro Lakers.
Casey started his coaching career training goalies with Prohybrid Training from 2008 - 2014 along with Gentry Academy working under Sean Skinner from 2014-2015. Casey started ReadReact Hockey May 2015. SInce then, Casey has hosted camps in Italy, China, Kazakhstan.
Some notable players Casey has worked include: Chaz & Cruz Lucius, Conner Kurth, Issac Howard, Ryan Chesley, Will Schimek, Bennet Schimek, Jake Sondreal, Zach Sondreal, Cam Berg, Nick Pierre, Conner Smith, JJ Wiebusch, Josie St. Martin, Lindzi Avar, Gordon Diefel, Peter Thome, Matiss Kivlenieks, Josie Bothun, and more!
Emilie Brigham
Emilie Brigham is a recent graduate of the University of Maine where she played four years of NCAA Division I hockey as a Black Bear. She captained the team in her junior and senior seasons and was a three time UMaine Scholar Athlete and Hockey East All-Academic team member.
Before Maine, Emilie played at Anoka High School where she was captain and earned a Hobey Baker Award in her senior season. Emilie has spent time coaching youth hockey players for several years across Minnesota and Maine. Most recently, Emilie was the head coach for the St. Francis/North Branch Girls’ High School team in the 2017-2018 season.
Jack Senden
Jack Senden: Jack played high school hockey in the MHSHL for Hill-Murray High School, where he had two state tournament appearances. Following high school, Jack played junior hockey with the Granite City Lumberjacks in the NA3HL. Jack began coaching with ReadReact in the summer of 2022. As a coach, Jack focuses' on building self-confidence as well as fine-tuning the specific details of skating, stick handling, and shooting in relation to game situations.
sam nelson
Jackson Kohnan
Jack played hockey for about 15 years starting at White Bear Lake High School in the MHSHL. Jack had standout performances at evets such as The Now Prospects Combine, Great 8, Bantam Elite League, and many other hockey events. Jack is currently going to school in pursuit of a business degree.
Burke Simpson
In youth hockey, Burke played AAA hockey with Milwaukee Jr Admirals, winning one state championship against Team Wisconsin. After graduating high school, Burke went on to play two years of Junior A hockey for the Nipawin Hawks in the SJHL, followed by a season with Shreveport Mudbugs in the NAHL. Currently, Burke is playing his second year for the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, NCAA. Burke began coaching with ReadReact towards the end of 2022. As a coach, Burke focuses on the tools and abilities that are essential for players to play at an elite level.
Dakota Meyer
Dakota currently plays NCAA hockey at Finlandia University hockey, where he studies human health sciences. Dakota is in his fourth summer with ReadReact. Dakota has been under the leadership of Casey and A.J. since he was 8 years old. Dakota brings his knowledge and experience to all our athletes with passion and positivity.
Lukas Sladkovsky
Lulsa is from Prague, Czech Republic. Growing up, he played youth hockey in the Czech Republic for Sparta Prague. At the age of 16, Lukas moved to play Jr. A Hockey in Ontario, Canada. Lukas was then drafted in the CHL Import Draft by Vald'Or Foreurs QMJHL. In 2017, Lukas started playing professional hockey in the Czech Republic for two seasons. He then spent four seasons playing professional hockey in England, helping bring the team to one National Cup Championship in 2023 and winning a National Championship title in 2024. Lukas is excited to share his knowledge from many years of his hockey experience.
Jonny Meiers
Jonny Meiers is entering his sophomore season in NCAA Division III at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. His hockey career includes four years of varsity hockey at Eagan High School and three years in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). Currently playing college hockey, Jonny has joined ReadReact Hockey as a first-year instructor. With experience in high school, junior, and collegiate hockey, he aims to share his knowledge and enthusiasm for the sport with developing players. Jonny looks forward to contributing to the growth of athletes at ReadReact Hockey, applying his understanding of the game and commitment to player development.