Wild Announce Leadership Group for 2024-25 Season
WENATCHEE, Wash. – As the Wenatchee Wild start a new month, the club is announcing new players set to guide the club on the ice this season.
The Wenatchee Wild are excited to announce the team’s leadership group for the 2024-25 campaign, with fourth-year forward Evan Friesen set to serve as the team’s captain this year. Second-year forward Kenta Isogai will wear a full time A as an alternate captain, while the remaining letter will be shared by a group consisting of Reid Andresen, Dawson Seitz, Josh Fluker and Sam Ward.
“It goes without saying, but I am very proud of the guys we selected to lead our hockey club,” said Wenatchee Wild head coach Don Nachbaur. “The leadership group consisting of Evan, Kenta, Reid, Dawson, Josh and Sam represents everything we were looking for in terms of doing things the right way, on and off the ice. Evan earned the respect of players and coaches, while the same can be said about Kenta. We will rely on them heavily to carry the torch and instill a culture we can be proud of, for years to come. Our support group consisting of Reid, Dawson, Josh and Sam are strong people who will be called upon to add additional leadership.”
No player on this year’s roster has played in more games with the Wild, or the previous Winnipeg ICE, than Friesen. The native of Winnipeg, Manitoba stands at 176 career games entering this weekend’s games against the Victoria Royals and Kamloops Blazers. He set a new career-best with 52 points a year ago, including 25 goals, and enters the month of October with 88 points for his WHL career.
The 20-year-old Isogai is in his second season with the Wild, and his fifth and final year in junior hockey after playing three years in the United States Hockey League for the Youngstown Phantoms. He was named Wenatchee’s Forward of the Year last season, and earned a spot on the U.S. Division’s First All-Star Team a year ago. He enters the month of October with 94 career points in 68 Wild games.
Andresen has played 214 games in the WHL, and is in his fifth year in the league, joining the Wild from the Medicine Hat Tigers in an offseason trade. He enters the month with 89 career points, including 21 goals.
Seitz played in his 150th career WHL game on September 21, and set new career highs last year with 51 games and 14 points in his first season with the Wild. He is in his fifth season in the WHL, after playing his first three seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings.
Fluker is in his third full season of junior hockey, starting out with the Swift Current Broncos before joining the Wild this past January. He notched 15 total points last season and has five already this year, with 28 career points in 133 appearances as of the start of October.
Ward also joined the club from Swift Current last January, and has notched 16 points in 89 WHL contests. Eight of those points came over his 27-game stretch with Wenatchee last season. He is in his third full year in the league, all spent with the Broncos and Wild.
“Honestly, it’s a big accomplishment. I don’t take it for granted,” said Friesen of his selection as the team’s captain this year. “It shows my teammates have a lot of trust in me – they respect me, and I respect them back. It’s a big opportunity and a big accomplishment.”
The Wild return to home ice for a pair of games this weekend, starting with Healthcare Workers’ Night presented by Columbia Valley Community Health on Saturday against the Victoria Royals. The opening puck drop at Town Toyota Center is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tickets for that game and all regular-season home games are on sale now by phone at 509-888-7825, online here or by visiting the team office at Town Toyota Center. Wild 2024-25 season tickets also remain on sale – updated news and information on Wild hockey are always available through the team’s website and on the team’s social media platforms on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
