Coaches
Hockey Director - Calvin Burkhart
Hockey Director Calvin Burkhart, known more commonly by "Coach Cal" is excited to build a foundation for lifelong success with the D230 Saints.
He started his post-collegiate coaching career as the goalie coach with the Sandburg Eagles, then moving on to be head coach for Fenwick's JV team, leading them to their first championship in over a decade in that year.
Cal was then brought on board with Purdue University Northwest's new D2 team, achieving a winning record and ranked wins despite being under .500 their previous year of ACHA D3. Cal returned to Sandburg as the Varsity Head Coach for the 2024-25 Season to pursue a vision of a hockey community and high-end player development in the Southwest Suburbs.
Chicago-born and Montana-raised, Cal learned to play hockey on a frozen lake in Whitefish. He moved back to the Chicago area at 14, where he played AAA for the Chicago Chill and Madison Capitols and was selected for the Illinois Player Development camp for 3 consecutive seasons.
After playing his senior year with Benet Academy’s Varsity team, he then went on to play three years of Junior A, finishing out with an MnJHL Goalie of the Year and committed to Hamline University (NCAA D3). After a coaching change he transferred to Lawrence University (NCAA D3) before pursuing a scholarship opportunity from New York University film school, graduating in 2018.
He continued to play hockey at NYU, where the team achieved the 2017 ACHA D2 National Championship his junior year and a promotion to ACHA D1 his senior season.
Coach Cal is influenced by his work in the summer with Nashville Predators Director of Goaltending, Mitch Korn, bringing a detail-oriented approach to his head coaching practice. His philosophy is that a championship process creates championships and that success is a product of development. Coach Cal looks forward to bringing a renewed culture of accelerated development, unforgettable player experiences, and relentless competitiveness to the Saints!
Igor Litvinenko
Igor brings a unique perspective to our coaching team. Igor plays forward at PNW and has played Juniors and European semi-professional hockey. He was an assistant coach of KiePo, a Finnish division 3 team and had a coaching internship at Avangard Academy. Igor holds a Masters Degree in Physical Culture and Sports in the Field of Ice Hockey from Siberian Government University, writing his dissertation on hockey player movement. He also has a network of advancement and exposure opportunities for our players and his specialty is tactics and routes.
IgorLi
Tom Baffi
Bio forthcoming
Savva Verbetskii
Savva plays forward at PNW and played Juniors in Canada. He has experience coaching in youth summer camps in Canada with AA and AAA players and coached youth and high school aged players in Russia during the COVID lockdown. Savva wants to give back to the game by sharing techniques with players, just as his hockey mentors did for him. Along with his energy and enthusiasm, Savva brings a specialization in stick skills and evasion.
Jeremy Lochow
Jeremy grew up in Homer Glen, playing his high school years with the Spartans. He served as team captain his senior season, after which he committed to Illinois State University and played on their ACHA D2 team. After his freshman year in college, Jeremy went back to juniors to hone his skills, playing with the Midwest Blackbirds in the USPHL premier and, ultimately, committing to Purdue University Northwest, where he played for the Pride’s ACHA D2 & D1 teams. Jeremy graduated in 2024 and looks forward to helping the Eagles players build skills, embody good practice/game habits and have fun!