Wild Announce Five-Year Extension for Mick as Academy Director
WENATCHEE, Wash. – The Wenatchee Wild and Wenatchee Wild Hockey Academy, proud members of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL), are excited to announce that Troy Mick has signed a five-year contract extension to continue with the club as the hockey director for the organization’s Academy program. Mick also serves as the head coach of the Academy’s 18-and-Under team.
“We are thrilled to have Troy lead our Academy programs,” said Wenatchee general manager Bliss Littler. “Troy’s experience and body of work in the WHL and the BCHL as a head coach is really incredible. Troy has had a lot of success at every stop in his coaching career. We are very fortunate to have Troy in the Wenatchee Wild family – the amount that he cares about his players and staff is second to none. Troy was very instrumental in getting our program into the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, and he has played at and coached at the level all of our players strive to get to. We are truly a better organization because of Troy.”
A former Western Hockey League All-Star and Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick, Mick joined the Wenatchee organization in April of 2022, and has seen the Wild Hockey Academy program through a period of tremendous growth over the past two seasons. Both the 16U and 18U programs suited up as guest teams at CSSHL showcase events during the 2022-23 season before becoming full CSSHL members this past year, while the Academy’s 14U team was invited to participate as a guest program in two of the league’s U15 Varsity showcases and a U15 Prep showcase in 2023-24. The CSSHL is widely recognized as Canada’s top education-based hockey league, which will begin its 16th season of competition this fall.
“I would like to thank David & Lisa White and Wild general manager Bliss Littler for believing in me and my abilities as a coach, and as the hockey director for the Wenatchee Wild Hockey Academy,” said Mick. “I am excited that I will be staying around Wenatchee for another five years – this has become home to me, and it’s such a beautiful city with amazing hockey fans. I would also like to thank my Wenatchee Wild Hockey Academy coaches Jordan McTaggart, Pat Norlin, Travis Moore, Jarrod Boman, Spencer White, Leigh Mendelson, and the one and only Pepe Sandoval for all of their hard work to make the Academy happen every year.”
The Wenatchee Wild Hockey Academy will begin the 2024-25 season with four Tier I teams, all of which are eligible for postseason competition at USA Hockey district and national tournaments. Wenatchee’s program will be the only program in Washington state with four Tier I national-bound teams this coming season. The 16U and 18U teams are fully billeted programs, while the 14U and 15O teams are weekend programs in which players compete and practice on weekends and return home to attend school and live with their families during the week. The 15O program received its official designation from USA Hockey and the Pacific Northwest Amateur Hockey Association in March.
The Wenatchee Wild congratulate Wenatchee Wild Hockey Academy director Troy Mick on his five-year contract extension, and look forward to his continued success in growing and coaching the Academy program.
