Team Personnel

Bliss Littler
General Manager

[email protected]

NOTABLE QUOTES:

With a career spanning 34 seasons behind the bench, Wenatchee Wild General Manager Bliss Littler is USA Hockey’s all time Tier 1 and Tier 2 winningest coach, with 836 regular season wins and a winning percentage of .635. The last 11 of those years were in the northwest with the Wenatchee Wild. Prior to arriving in Wenatchee, Bliss spent 11 years in the United States Hockey League as a Head Coach/General Manager with the Omaha Lancers, Tri-City Storm, and the Topeka Scarecrows. Five times he served as a coach for USA Hockey in international competitions. He launched his coaching career by spending seven years with the Billings Bulls of the AFHL and AWHL where he won five Borne Cups. He sported an overall record of 326-210-59 in the USHL, winning one Anderson Cup. In his career, he has coached over 300 players who moved on to play Division I hockey. He has also coached 25 NHL draft picks, including two first round picks, and seen more than 20 of his former players advance to the NHL. He also holds a Bachelor Degree in General Studies from Minot State University. Bliss is married to his wife Gretchen, and they have two children, Cade and Grace. They make their full-time home here in the Wenatchee Valley.

COACHING HIGHLIGHTS

• 2018 – BCHL – Joe Tennant Memorial Trophy for Coach of the Year
• 2018 – CJHL Doyle Cup Pacific Region Championship
• 2018 – BCHL Fred Page Cup Championship
• 2017 – BCHL – Joe Tennant Memorial Trophy for Coach of the Year
• 2016 – BCHL Mainland Division Coach of the Year
• 2011 – Assistant Coach USA World Junior A Challenge (Bronze Medal) Langley, B.C.
• 2008 – Assistant Coach USA World Junior A Challenge (Gold Medal) Camrose, Alberta
• 2002 – Head Coach USA 19 and under Viking Cup (3-1-1 record) Camrose, Alberta
• 2000 – Assistant Coach USA 19 and under Viking Cup (Gold Medal) Camrose, Alberta
• 1997 – Assistant Coach USA 19 and under, Berne Cup(Gold Medal)Berne, Switzerland

DEVELOPMENT

• More than 300 players have moved on to play Division I hockey.
• Over 25 NHL draft picks.
• 2 NHL first round draft picks.
• Over 20 players have advanced to play in the NHL.

Kevin Constantine

Head Coach

Kevin is in his first season as the head coach of the Wenatchee Wild, with a decorated coaching history in the sport both in the U.S. and abroad. A native of International Falls, Minnesota, Constantine brings nearly 40 years of coaching experience to Wenatchee, including stops in the USHL, NAHL, IHL and AHL. Highlighting his coaching career are seven years as a National Hockey League head coach, going 161-150-61-5 with the San Jose Sharks, Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils.

His career also includes a pair of four-year stretches in the WHL with the Everett Silvertips from 2003 to 2007, and again from 2013 to 2017. Constantine’s teams went 326-199-51 in his eight seasons behind a WHL bench and never missed the playoffs, winning five U.S. Division championships during his tenure. He earned a Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as the league’s top coach after leading the Silvertips to the WHL Final in 2004, and added a WHL regular-season title three years later.

In addition to his hockey experience in the United States, he has an extensive resume on the international scene, coaching professional teams overseas in France, Switzerland, South Korea, Poland and Hungary. He has also served once as a head coach and twice as an assistant coach for Team USA at the World Junior championships, and coached the Hungarian national team at the World Championships in Finland this past May.

Before moving on to the coaching ranks, Kevin played three years as an NCAA Division I goaltender at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in New York.

Chris Clark

Associate Head Coach / Assistant General Manager
[email protected]

Chris has been a part of the Wenatchee Wild coaching staff since the team’s inception in 2008. As assistant coach, Chris helped and worked with 8 NCAA Division I, 3 WHL and 2 NHL drafted goaltenders. He served as Head Coach from December 2019 to June 2023.

Prior to joining the Wenatchee Wild, Chris spent the 2007-08 season as a graduate assistant at Division I Minnesota State University – Mankato (WCHA).

Chris played college hockey for the Minnesota State University -Mankato Mavericks from 2003 to 2007, when he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Management and a minor in Marketing. Chris was a member of the WCHA All-Academic team from 2004-2007 and received the Mavericks Most Improved Player in 2004-05.  He was honored in the 2007 WCHA Final Five program for his volunteer work in the Mankato community.

Before moving on to college, Chris played junior hockey from 2001 to 2003 in the BCHL and was a member of the 2001-02 Fred Page Cup Champion Victoria Salsa.

Chris and his wife Julie live in Wenatchee with their son Cooper and their dog Madison.

Andrew Sarauer

Assistant Coach

Andrew joins the Wild in 2023-24 for his first season in Wenatchee after a 15-year professional playing career in the United States and Europe.

Hailing from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Sarauer played junior hockey for the Victoria Salsa and Langley Hornets in the British Columbia Hockey League before embarking on a four-year NCAA Division I playing career at Northern Michigan University. His professional playing career included four seasons with teams in the American Hockey League and ECHL, as well as one season in Denmark and another in Austria.

His most notable professional accomplishments came during a nine-year run with the Fehervar AV19 club in Hungary, where he played more than 400 games and tallied more than 300 career points. His 59 points during the 2014-15 season led the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga, and his efforts on the international stage that season helped lead the Hungarian national team to a second-place finish in Group A of the Division I World Championship tournament. That second-place finish allowed Hungary to climb to the top division of international competition for the first time since 2009, and only the second time since 1939.

Andrew looks forward to working alongside the other talented coaches on the Wild staff, and to helping the team’s players become quality young men.

Leigh Mendelson

Goaltender Coach & Director of Scouting
[email protected]

Leigh Mendelson joined the Wenatchee Wild prior to the 2017-18 season in a dual role as both Associate Head Coach and Director of Recruiting. His coaching career is considerable, with over 10 seasons of experience at the junior level in both the NAHL and USHL. Add in four seasons of pro experience in the ECHL and AHL, and three seasons in Europe to go along with his three years of Division I college, and you’ve got a world of experience. With a focus on the defensive side of the game, his skill set serves as the perfect balance to the established Wild staff.

Jordan McTaggart

Skills Coach
[email protected]

Coach McTaggart comes to Wenatchee from the Yellowstone Quake of the NA3HL. McTaggart, a Seattle native, played his junior hockey with the Quake before seeing an opportunity to be an assistant coach of the team he once suited up for. Following two seasons coaching in Wyoming, he came back to Washington to help coach with the Team Seattle AAA program. After two years there, McTaggart crossed the border north into Canada, taking a role as head coach of the Banff Hockey Academy midget varsity team in Alberta. That, along with being an assistant coach on the midget prep team, consumed McTaggart’s time for the next four years. Deciding to come back to the United States, McTaggart went back to Yellowstone for his second stint with the Quake, being an assistant coach there once again. With deep hockey roots, McTaggart’s father, Jim, played in the NHL for the Washington Capitals, and coached in the WHL with the Seattle Thunderbirds after retiring. Jordan looks to help prepare players for the next level of hockey, using the wisdom and experience he’s gathered from the junior hockey ranks.

Jordan McTaggart

Co-Head Coach 18UAAA and 16UAAA,
Player Development Coach 12U & 14U, Spring Hockey Coordinator
[email protected]

Coach McTaggart comes to Wenatchee from the Yellowstone Quake of the NA3HL. McTaggart, a Seattle native, played his junior hockey with the Quake before seeing an opportunity to be an assistant coach of the team he once suited up for. Following two seasons coaching in Wyoming, he came back to Washington to help coach with the Team Seattle AAA program. After two years there, McTaggart crossed the border north into Canada, taking a role as head coach of the Banff Hockey Academy midget varsity team in Alberta. That, along with being an assistant coach on the midget prep team, consumed McTaggart’s time for the next four years. Deciding to come back to the United States, McTaggart went back to Yellowstone for his second stint with the Quake, being an assistant coach there once again. With deep hockey roots, McTaggart’s father, Jim, played in the NHL for the Washington Capitals, and coached in the WHL with the Seattle Thunderbirds after retiring. Jordan looks to help prepare players for the next level of hockey, using the wisdom and experience he’s gathered from the junior hockey ranks.

Jarrod Boman

Hockey Operations & Assistant Coach, 16U and 18U AAA

Jarrod has played junior hockey in the Western States Hockey League and his youth hockey with the Jr Sharks organization. He has been involved at all levels in the game of hockey, most notably as a WHL official for over 15 years. In 2021 he was named WHL official of the year. He has coached with the Portland Jr Hawks Association from the 14U to 10U level and he has been an Equipment Manager/Trainer in the NOR-PAC Jr league with the Portland Pioneers from 2000-2005. Jarrod received a BS Degree from Portland State University in Athletic Therapy. Please welcome his wife Marissa and sons Benjamin & Braden to the Wenatchee Family!

Aaron Azevedo

16U (2008) & 14U Head Coach

Aaron graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Entrepreneurship from Iowa State University while playing for the ACHA D1 hockey team. Today, Aaron is one of Power Edge Pro’s leading Professional Instructors working with NHL players through youth hockey associations on individual skill development. With nine years of coaching experience, Aaron is already a leading skills coach for game application and drill innovation. Behind the bench Aaron has coached six spring seasons in addition to two winter seasons at various youth levels. In the off-season, Aaron and his brother Tysen provide On Top Hockey (OT Hockey), a player development platform integrated with invitational opportunities for players from the Northwest to compete in exposure showcases throughout the spring and summer.

Sharon Seguin MD, FAAD

Team Physician

Dr. Seguin earned a BS in Microbiology from UCLA and a Doctor of Medicine from Loyola University of Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine. She completed post-doctorate residency training in Internal Medicine at Madigan Army Medical Center and in Dermatology at Walter Reed AMC and earned Board Certification in both specialties. She served in the US Army for 11 years. Sharon and her husband Matt moved to Wenatchee in 2000 where they have raised three sons. Dr. Seguin is a physician at Confluence Health and has been a team doctor for the Wild for 11 years. The Seguins have served as a billet family for the Wild for 9 years.

Dan Ritzke PA-C

Team Physician Assistant

Dan has been part of the Wild medical staff since the 2014 season.  He earned his Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sports Science at the University of Wisconsin -La Crosse and completed his physician assistant training at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana.  He is board certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.  Dan has practiced in orthopaedics for 18 years with the last 15 as part of the Confluence Health Orthopaedic Department.  The Ritzkes have also been a billet family for the past 6 seasons.  Dan and his wife Billie live in Wenatchee with their two boys, Jacob and Zach.

Karina Lahti

Athletic Trainer

Karina is a Certified Athletic Trainer joining the Wild for her first season in Wenatchee. Hailing from Surrey, British Columbia, she earned a Diploma of Sports Science from Douglas College in New Westminster, B.C. before graduating from Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C. with a Bachelor’s degree in human kinetics, earning both degrees with Great Distinction. She finished her master’s degree in athletic training magna cum laude in 2022 at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington.

Lahti has a wide range of experience in the athletic training field both in and out of the sport of hockey, serving as the head kinesiologist at Columbia Bible College for the school’s volleyball and basketball teams, and was a student athletic therapist and kinesiologist for the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s Vancouver Bandits for two seasons. While working on her master’s degree at Whitworth, she assisted the athletic training staff for the University of Colorado football team and the Spokane Chiefs hockey team in the Western Hockey League. Last season, she served as athletic therapist for the British Columbia Hockey League’s Prince George Spruce Kings, and in the same role for the Langley Thunder lacrosse teams.

Karina is looking forward to being a part of Wenatchee’s inaugural season in the WHL.

Trent Hugill

Head Equipment Manager

Trent is in his first season with the Wild after a two-year stay in Duluth, Georgia, first with the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL and then assisting at the Atlanta IceForum, the Gladiators’ official training facility. Hugill also served a brief American Hockey League stint as the assistant equipment manager for the San Jose Barracuda, and spent the 2020-21 season in the Southern Professional Hockey League with the Macon Mayhem.

The San Jose, California native came to the pro ranks with a pair of seasons under his belt in junior hockey, taking on head equipment manager duties for the Lone Star Brahmas and Bismarck Bobcats in the North American Hockey League.

Pepe Sandoval

Asst. Equipment Manager, Asst. Athletic Trainer

Pepe has been with the Wild franchise since the beginning. It’s been said, “If you don’t get along with Pepe, it’s probably YOU!” Pepe lives in Wenatchee and manages rental properties when he’s not at the rink.

Phil Moller

Assistant Equipment Manager

Phil Moller was first introduced to hockey in 1963 by his family’s friends from Canada.  He quickly fell in love with the sport and played on the Spokane Blades travel team from 1963 through 1967.  Unfortunately, his family moved to Chelan, which made it difficult to continue playing for several years.   Finally, Phil joined the Wenatchee Blades Midget team in 1976.  The season was cut short because practices and games were unable to continue in their outdoor rink due to the warm winter conditions.  In 1991, Phil rejoined the hockey community as a head coach for the Tacoma Junior Rockets Mini Mite team.  He served as a head coach until 1996 when he completed his coaching career for the Tacoma Jr. Rockets Squirt Tier II team playing in the West Coast Hockey League.  Phil’s passion for the sport of hockey has remained strong since he was a young boy and he looks forward to serving the Wenatchee Wild this season as their assistant Equipment Manager.

Tammi Flynn, MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS

Nutritionist / Strength and Conditioning

Tammi is a registered dietitian and fitness professional who has been in the industry since the 1980’s.  Her more recent certifications are in CrossFit, sports nutrition, and as a strength and conditioning specialist.  Her current interests are focused on programming and diet for young athletes to maximize their performance.  She has worked with local soccer, lacrosse, track, cross-country skiing, wrestling, and hockey teams.

Max Crowell

Worx of Wenatchee
Strength Training

Max is a Certified Personal Trainer at Worx Gym of Wenatchee Valley.  He works with the Wild several times a week with strength and conditioning.  He attained his bachelors degree in Clinical Physiology at Central Washington University and is working on becoming a certified strength and conditioning specialist through NSCA.  Max pursues a career in training high level athletes.

Gretchen Littler

Director of Sales & Marketing

Gretchen Littler serves a dual role in the office, handling group ticket sales as well as corporate partnerships. As a hockey mom and hockey wife, Gretchen is surrounded by hockey and is committed to helping the franchise continue to grow in the Valley.

David Rayfield

Senior Sales & Operations Coordinator

David returned to the Wenatchee Wild as Senior Sales and Operations Coordinator in 2018. David was previously a member of the Wild staff from 2013-2016 as the Director of Game Day Operations. David was born and raised in the Valley, graduating from Cascade High School in Leavenworth. He then headed to Pullman to attend Washington State University, where he graduated in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management. Making the Wild a fun family experience that everyone in the Wenatchee Valley can enjoy is extremely important to David.

His primary focus includes developing and evolving partnerships via creative sponsorship opportunities. David is always looking to present local business brands in front of Wild fans. Representing our sponsors in a fun interactive way to our fans is extremely important and beneficial to all. David also assists in the selling of season tickets, groups, and single-game tickets.

Jesi Janes

Bookkeeper

Jesi Janes joined the Wenatchee Wild at the end of the 2016-2017 Season as their Bookkeeper. Jesi was born and raised in the Wenatchee Valley, and graduated from Central Washington University.  For the last two years, she has played an active role as Secretary and Registrar for the Wenatchee Amateur Hockey Association.  Away from the office, you will find her at the rink a majority of her time as both of her sons participate in Youth Hockey. She has a passion for hockey and her family have been Season Ticket Members for numerous years.  She is honored to be a part of the Wenatchee Wild team and is excited about being a part of this great organization. Go Wild!

Austin Draude

Media Relations & Broadcast Manager

Austin Draude joined the Wild in October 2022 as the team’s Media Relations and Broadcast Manager, after a nine-year run with the North Iowa Bulls of the North American Hockey League. He served part-time as the team’s primary play-by-play voice before moving into a full-time Director of Media role in 2019. Draude filled a number of roles for the Bulls, broadcasting games for the team as well as overseeing the team’s social media, graphic design and multimedia efforts. He also helped to see the team through its move to a new arena in 2020 and its transition from the North American 3 Hockey League to the NAHL the following year.

A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Austin is blessed to have a chance to call the Wenatchee Valley home and excited to be a part of the Wild family.

Kimber McLaughlin

Director of Digital Media

Kimber McLaughlin joined the Wild in October 2022, serving the team first as its Director of Digital Media and Merchandise, and currently handles many of the creative duties for the team, including video content, graphic design and social media.

McLaughlin enters the Wild family with extensive experience serving clients in the state of Washington, most recently on a freelance basis and for Horizon Credit Union in Spokane Valley. Their work was an important part of Horizon’s advertising and communication efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the company’s largest merger to date.

While at Eastern Washington University, Kimber handled graphic design and multimedia editing duties for EWU Marcom in Cheney, Washington, managing EWU and EWU Global’s internal marketing and social media. McLaughlin was also closely involved with Eastern Washington’s marketing efforts through the school’s commercials, programs, sports graphics and webshow, “Get tü Class,” prior to graduating from the university in 2017.

Halcyon McKenna

Account Executive

Halcyon joined the Wild in May of 2023 as an Account Executive. She comes to the organization from One Medical in Everett, where she had been working as a referral specialist, but Halcyon credits the Vegas Golden Knights for pulling her into the sport when they got off the ground in 2017.

After becoming familiar with the youth hockey scene in Everett, she is excited to be able to be involved in the sport on a full-time basis, and to settle in and call the Wenatchee Valley home with her family.

 Jeri Elsasser

Graphic Designer

Jeri Elsasser joined the Wenatchee Wild in 2013 as a graphic designer in Fresno, California, joining the staff with team owners David and Lisa White. She graduated from Fresno State in 2008 and began her marketing career full-time in hockey with the Fresno Falcons Hockey Team in the ECHL after a year-long internship. She then went on to become the first staff member hired when the Fresno Monsters Hockey Team formed in 2009, working as the Marketing Director for both the WSHL and NAHL teams.

Away from the office, Jeri is a proud wife, mom, and avid Colorado Avalanche Hockey fan. GO WILD!

Maddy Corgiat

Office Manager & Merchandise Coordinator

Maddy recently graduated from Central Washington University with a degree in sports management. She grew up playing sports and she loved visiting Wenatchee for tournaments. Maddy is competitive by nature and loves the camaraderie of sports, but most of all likes being behind the scenes making the competition happen. At Central Washington University she officiated different levels of intramural sports.

Michelle Scarabello

Accountant

Michelle Scarabello was born and raised in Fresno, California. She attended California State University, Fresno and graduated with a degree in Business Administration, emphasis in Accounting, in 2016. She still resides in Fresno and currently works for Krikorian & Company Accountancy Corporation. She’s worked for Krikorian & Company since early 2016.

Michelle loves sports, but hockey is her favorite. She’s been to many NHL games and loves the experience. As a hockey fan, she was very excited for this opportunity and officially joined the Wenatchee Wild in February 2020.

Arch Ecker

Broadcaster Emeritus

Arch Ecker joined the Wenatchee Wild in the summer of 2016 after working 20 seasons of junior hockey in the AFHL, AWHL, and NAHL, all Tier II Junior A leagues. He’d spent the prior ten seasons with the Topeka (and Santa Fe) RoadRunners, following four seasons with the Helena Bighorns and six with the Butte Irish. He performed numerous duties over the years with the teams in the front office and was a talented musician, playing in the band “No Promises” and releasing his first single, “I’ve Got a Feeling,” just before his passing in September 2022. However, his true passion remained broadcasting, calling nearly 1,500 regular season and playoff games at the Tier II level, and dozens more at Tier III and Junior B levels. 

Though Arch is no longer with us, he will always be a member of the Wild family!

The game day experience for Wenatchee Wild fans is one that we strive to make special and memorable. It takes a coordinated effort by dozens of individuals to make every Wild home game not just a thrilling spectacle of sport, but a family friendly, bright and colorful event.

AV Booth

• John Connor, Jonathan West – Public Address Announcers
• Bethany Morrison – Graphics/AV Booth Director
• Levi Day – Graphics
• Craig Anderson – Replay
• Zach Cook – Lights
• Gabe Davies – Switcher
• Arthur Gutierrez – Sky Cam
• Kellen Manhart – Music
• Richmond Rodriguez – Music
• Lee Dawson – AV Booth Coordinator
• Shayla Crouch, Gabe Neumann, Cassidy Lewis, Jackson Penny, Peter Kyle, Dalton Scott, Nyjae Sulli – Camera Operators
• Randy Dawson – Game Day Videographer
• Russ Alman – Team Photographer
• Jeff Balauro- Team photographer

Off-Ice Officials

• Suzy Howard – Computer Scorekeeper / Off-Ice Scheduler
• Lonnie Howard – Goal Judge / Penalty Box
• Megan Howard – Shot Chart / Stats
• Jim Clark – Score Sheet
• Chris Cronrath – Goal Judge
• Howard Perryman – Clock / Scoresheet / Penalty Box
• John Bleichner – Penalty Box
• Brad Buchsieb – Shots / Stats / Goal Judge

Part time off-ice officials include: Michelle Singleton, Willow Merritt, Casi Tarr, Josh Tarr, Monte Montoya, Gary Roy, Lisa Peterson, Russ Peterson.

Ushers

• Debbie Gravelle – Lead Usher

Merchandise

• Julie Seward – Merchandise
• Mike Seward – Merchandise

Interns

For info on becoming an intern: https://www.wenatcheewildhockey.com/wild-interns/

Back of House

• Chris Berg – Director of Operations (TTC)
• Jeremy Posenjak – Zamboni Driver

Mascot Coordinator

• Lisa Miller – Mascot Coordinator