The native of Sarnia, Dave began his coaching career in 1994 while attending university in Waterloo. Having graduated in 1995 and moved to Toronto, Dave became involved with the Toronto Colts.
In 1999, Dave was an assistant coach with the Don Mills Flyers Minor Atom team in the 1989 age group. His teams have had a regular playoff presence and have also won some prestigious tournaments. In 2004, he joined Steve Mercer with the Don Mills Flyers Bantam team in the 1990 age group. That season, the team improved from 11th place to a 7th place playoff berth and a near upset in the quarter-finals. The next season saw further improvement to a 6th place regular season finish culminating in a GTHL Minor Midget Championship (2006) and a semi-final finish in the OHL Cup. Notable players from that team include NHL draft picks Nick Crawford (Buffalo) and Anthony Nigro (St. Louis).
After a stint with the Brampton Capitals Jr. A team, Dave returned to minor hockey as an assistant coach with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens in the 1994 age group. The past two seasons again saw year over year improvements. The team ended this past season in 3rd place in league standings, GTHL Finalists and ranked 2nd in the Minor Midget OHL Cup rankings.
Prior to coaching, Dave was a certified hockey referee for thirteen years.
Dave is employed by RBC in downtown Toronto and resides in East York with his wife Vanessa.