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Troy Mick of Vernon has been hired by the Wenatchee Wild. (Submitted photo/Wenatchee Wild)
'instant credibility'

Mick joins Wenatchee Wild organization

Feb 7, 2022 | 3:45 PM

The hockey career of Vernon’s Troy Mick has landed him in Washington state, and back in the BC Hockey League.

The former junior star who went on to coaching jobs with the Vernon Vipers, Salmon Arm Silverbacks and in the WHL, has been hired by the BCHL’s Wenatchee Wild as head coach and hockey director of both the Under-18 AAA Wenatchee Wolves and Under-16 AAA Wenatchee Wilderness.

Mick, 52, is scheduled to begin his new position in Wenatchee on April 1.

The Wild operate four teams in their development program. The Wolves and Wilderness both have players that live with billet families in Wenatchee during the season, while the 14UAAA Wenatchee Wolverines and 12U Showcase teams are weekend-only teams that live at home and have a mix of games and practices on the weekends.

As hockey director, Mick will oversee the entire operation while serving as head coach for the two older teams. Jordan McTaggart will remain as co-head coach of the 18UAAA Wolves and 16UAAA Wilderness.

(Wenatchee Wild/Twitter)

Wenatchee Wild General Manager Bliss Littler has known Mick for many years and says they are excited to have him join the Wild family.

“Troy will work with myself and the other coaches on staff to continue to raise the standards of our Wenatchee Wild Development Teams Program,” Littler explained. “After being drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Troy played three years of pro hockey before starting his coaching career that has lasted thirty years. We are very fortunate to have someone with Troy’s character and commitment to making the players better hockey players and people. As a former head coach in the WHL and BCHL Troy will bring instant credibility to this position.”

Mick started his junior playing carrer with the Vernon Lakers in 1984, before going to Merritt Warriors and then on to a storied career in the WHL with Portland and Regina. He posted three 100-point seasons in the WHL and currently is 13th overall for all-time career points with 466. After being drafted by the Penguins in 1988, he would play pro hockey at the ECHL level for three years before turning to coaching in 1993.

He started off with a seven-year run in Vernon as an assistant coach with the Lakers, later renamed the Vipers, winning the Royal Bank Cup in 1999 as head coach. He returned to the WHL for three years in various coaching and management roles before heading back to Vernon for a year. He stepped away from the game for a few years before accepting the position of head coach / GM with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. He was there for six seasons, the latter part as GM and President.

The man known as ‘The Micker’ most recently worked as the GM of the Philadelphia Hockey Club in the NCDC and head coach for the Under-18 AAA team.

Mick is thrilled to come to Wenatchee which he says has made the BCHL a better league since they joined.

Ownership, management, coaches, staff and the fans make it one of the best franchises in North America. The vibe in the arena and around town is second to none on game days and I look forward to moving to Wenatchee and being a part of the program and community.”

Mick said the decision to come to Wenatchee was a “no brainer.”

“The professionalism that I saw when I was in the BCHL is something that you always look for as a coach,” Mick remarked. “I have known Bliss for many years and have respected everything he has done in the game. I got to know the White family from the BCHL governors’ meetings and they are all in it for the right reasons and that’s to give the players an opportunity to develop on and off the ice and to get an education by playing the game they love.”

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