Canucks announce promotions to Hockey Operations staff

According to a statement released by the team, Brian Hamilton has been promoted to head equipment manager; Mac Stewart, Brodie St. Jacques and John Stewart have been named assistant equipment managers (with John Stewart also continuing his role as visiting room attendant); Ian Beckenstein has been promoted to video coach; Evan Mathias has been hired as an assistant video coach; and Tyler Philips has been promoted to executive assistant in the hockey operations department.

Hamilton has been a member of the Canucks organization since 2006, serving as an assistant equipment manager for all 19 seasons that he’s been with the team before his promotion this summer. His promotion acts as a replacement for Pat O’Neill, who had been Vancouver’s head equipment manager since 1989 before his retirement.

Mac Stewart’s title with the Canucks doesn’t change, as he’s worked for the team since 2015 as an assistant equipment manager, but it’s also possible that he is seeing his role expand with Hamilton’s promotion. Stewart also worked as an assistant equipment manager for the Vancouver Giants from 2001 to 2012, and a head equipment manager for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds from 2012 to 2014 and the Toronto Marlies from 2014 to 2015.

St. Jacques also doesn’t see his title change amidst Hamilton’s promotion, as he’s been an assistant equipment manager for the Canucks since 2023. Prior to that, he was an equipment manager for the Salmon Arm Silverbacks from 2019 to 2021 and for the Giants from 2021 to 2023.

John Stewart had previously been with the team as just a dressing room attendant, so he sees his role with the team expand joining the equipment management team.

Beckenstein had joined Vancouver in 2024 as an assistant video coach, and gets a promotion after the team’s previous video coach Dylan Crawford left for the Philadelphia Flyers with former Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet. Beckenstein had been a part of the Canucks organization since 2021, serving as the video coach for the Abbotsford Canucks. He also previously worked as an equipment manager and a video coach for the Lac St-Louis Lions from 2008 to 2017 and 2019 to 2020.

Mathias is hired by the team to fill in Beckenstein’s role after his promotion. Mathias had worked as an analyst and video coach for the Ottawa Senators from 2019 to 2024, and as an analyst and director of analytics for the Windsor Spitfires from 2016 to 2020.