Coaches

NXTLevel Hockey Academy proudly offers some of the region's most ELITE HOCKEY COACHES! All members of our Coaching Staff offer a plethora of experience, expertise, and dedication to the development of youth hockey players while maintaining NXTLevel Hockey Academy's core values and goals in taking our players to the NXTLevel!

David began his hockey career when he participated in speed skating from the ages of 5-8 years old.

Prior to high school, he played youth hockey in Irondale, located in New Brighton, Minnesota.  

During the ages of 9 - 14, he played for multiple Minnesota select hockey teams during the spring, summer, and fall months to include Team Minnesota, Minnesota Selects, Minnesota Blades Maroon and Gold.

David then began his high school hockey career with Hill-Murray in Maplewood, Minnesota, while enrolled in the 8th grade.

In 1995, David was selected to play for the 16U  USA Olympic Hockey Team, where they played in the World Championships.

David played 4 years of Division 1 college hockey. During his transfer year between playing for Minnesota State University and the University of Omaha Nebraska, he played in the USHL for the Twin Cities Vulcans and won the Clark Cup.

David currently coaches for Omaha Hockey's Squirt High Performance Team during the winter.

David is quoted as saying, "My post-college hockey consists mostly of the infamous BPHL, where my team has tallied roughly 12 league championships!"

David graduated from UNO with a Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems and currently works at HDR as a Technical Project Manager.

Billy Pugliese is a former hockey forward whose transition from the ice to player development and scouting has made him a respected figure in the hockey world. A native of Thunder Bay, he shone in junior with the Portage Terriers (MJHL) and the Green Bay Gamblers (USHL), then played Division I college hockey as a four-year letter-winner with the University of Nebraska-Omaha. 

After his college career, Billy played in the minor professional ranks, including stints with the San Diego Gulls and the Muskegon Fury, where he helped win a Colonial Hockey League title in 2004.

Once his playing career ended, Pugliese moved into off-ice roles. He served as Director of Scouting for the Jamestown Rebels (NAHL), then joined the Lincoln Stars (USHL) as Director of Player Personnel. In 2021, he was promoted there to Assistant General Manager / Director of Scouting, supervising both the identification of new talent and the development of existing players.

Most recently, he accepted a role as an amateur scout for the Vancouver Canucks, covering draft-eligible players across multiple U.S. leagues and schools.

He is also currently coaching within the Omaha Mastery Tier 1 AAA program.

Cole Gilliand lives and breathes hockey. Before becoming a strength and performance coach, he spent more than 15 years on the ice as a top U.S. prospect. That experience instilled in him the discipline, grit, and competitive edge that now define his approach to developing athletes.

With a degree in kinesiology and certifications in personal training, sports performance, and nutrition, Cole has built a reputation for creating hockey-specific training systems that translate directly to the ice. He is also the founder of Gilly Fit.

Cole has worked with some of Omaha’s top hockey players and teams, along with athletes from other sports, but hockey remains his passion and focus. From youth athletes chasing their first AAA roster spot to juniors preparing for NCAA opportunities, Cole knows what it takes to elevate a player’s game.

His mission is simple: help hockey players unlock their full potential and dominate every shift.