Canton, NY – Christiano Versich has been named the next assistant coach of the SUNY Canton men's hockey program, as announced by Head Coach Alex Boak.
 
Versich, a 2021 graduate of Colorado College, played three seasons of Division I hockey for the Tigers before playing his final season of college hockey at D-I University of St. Thomas. He comes to Canton after playing professional hockey last season for Cergy-Pontoise in the France Ligue Magnus and for DEAC in the Erste Liga in Hungary.
 
"I am ecstatic to have Christiano part of our program and working with our players this year," Boak said. "I think Christiano will bring a vast knowledge of the game from his experience playing at the Division I level as well as the professional ranks overseas. Our players and I will benefit from having Christiano part of our staff and he will certainly enhance our players development and performance on the ice this season and beyond."
 
During his time at Colorado College Verisch recorded 45 points (13 goals, 32 assists) in 106 games. After transferring back closer to home to the University of St. Thomas, he recorded five goals and 11 assists for 16 points in 31 games. Following graduation from St. Thomas, Versich played overseas and spent 18 games in the Ligue Magnus (five points on two goals and three assists) and suited up for nine games in the Erste Liga located in Hungary. 
 
"I am extremely grateful, honored and excited for the opportunity to join SUNY Canton's coaching staff," Versich said. "I cannot wait to get started with the team and Coach Boak. I am looking forward to assisting and continuing to build a special program that is already in place in every aspect I can."
 
Before attending Colorado College Versich recorded 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists) in 61 games while splitting time between the Fargo Force and Bloomington Thunder of the USHL in 2016-17. He had 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 56 games for the USHL's Chicago Steel during the 2015-16 campaign and collected 93 points (36 goals, 57 assists) in 49 career games at St. Thomas Academy. Versich helped the team to the 2013 Class 1A state championship. He was drafted by the Chicago Steel in the seventh round of the 2013 USHL Futures Draft.
 
SUNY Canton men's hockey will play its final independent schedule this year before joining the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) next year as an associate member. The Roos open the 2023-24 regular season on October 27th when they host Stevenson University.
 
   
About SUNY Canton
As Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs, SUNY Canton delivers quality hands-on programs in digital design, engineering technology, health, management and public service. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. As SUNY's leader in online education, SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 23 online degree programs. The college placed first in 14 categories in a SUNY-Wide Student Opinion Survey, most notably in career services, tutoring, library resources, and classroom facilities. The SUNY Canton Kangaroos 15 traditional athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division III level as part of the North Atlantic Conference. SUNY Canton also features varsity esports and cheerleading.