It’s been a long offseason of waiting around for news and notes to drop, but finally it feels like a corner has been turned, and the 2024-25 WHL season is beginning to take its shape.
One of the lingering questions for the Everett Silvertips was who would be their next head coach, and this week, the coaching carousel finally slowed to a stop.
Everett finalizes Mike Fraser as GM and Steve Hamilton as coach
Year after year, the Silvertips have been that pesky team that refuses to go away, producing countless amounts of under-the-radar talent that hasn’t once missed the playoffs in franchise history.
Despite being in contention on a regular basis, the team has never quite had enough to make it over the hump. Now, reaching the pinnacle will be in the hands of two new leaders.
The team finally named Mike Fraser the full-time general manager after he served as the interim GM following the departure of Dennis Williams, working his way to the top of the organizational ladder over the course of six years.
“My goal with the Silvertips continues to be a focus on developing exciting prospects on the ice and quality people that our community can be proud of,” Fraser said. “I also want to continue the winning tradition in Silvertip Country, and I greatly look forward to what lies ahead.”
Fraser, 45, didn’t wait long in making his first big move as GM, as not even a week later he announced long-time WHL head coach Steve Hamilton would become the sixth head coach in franchise history.
Hamilton, 52, has a plethora of experience behind benches over the past decade. He was with the Calgary Hitmen for the last six seasons, following four seasons coaching the Edmonton Oil Kings. He was an associate with the Oil Kings during their 2013-14 Memorial Cup-winning season.
During an introductory video made by the Silvertips, Hamilton harped on the winning culture that’s been established in Everett, as well as what made them so tough to play against when he coached for past teams.
“Everett’s always been known as an incredibly difficult team to play against,” Hamilton said. “[They’re] fast, tenacious, in your face, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fans they play in front of.”
While Hamilton shines in experience, his head coaching resume and record leave a bit to be desired, considering Everett’s lofty expectations of seriously contending for the next few seasons.
Never winning more than 36 games in a season, Hamilton only has a single playoff series win during his tenure as a WHL coach, winning only eight total playoff games and missing the playoffs entirely in four out of his eight seasons (excluding COVID years of 2019-20, 2020-21).
The highest his teams have ever finished for goals for in a season was seventh in 2018-19, and they have sat near the bottom of the league in this category. Considering how much Everett had to rely on scoring by committee for much of last season, not valuing that side of the puck as much might just cost the Silvertips later in the season when finishing games truly matters.
There is some upside, however, as Hamilton’s calling card as a coach comes on the defensive side of the puck. Plus, the players he’s worked to develop, most recently Top 10 NHL Draft pick Carter Yakemchuk in Calgary, have had success. His understanding for that side of the game is likely why Everett felt he was the best fit, especially to help maximize the talents of their NHL drafted blueliners Eric Jamieson, Kaden Hammell, and Tarin Smith.
“Our job as coaches is to get the most out of our group, wherever we are in a cycle,” Hamilton said. “And if we can max out the potential of the group, that’s certainly the goal year in and year out.”
Hamilton will have a lot to work with. This could arguably be the best roster/group of defensemen he’s had in his career, but this window of opportunity has to be seized.
“There’s really a lot to like about where the organization is positioned,” Hamilton said. “It was an opportunity to come into a situation where the team’s on the rise.”
There’s one more big domino to fall in Everett, as exceptional-status defenseman Landon DuPont has yet to sign to his scholarship and development agreement. There has been reassurance from a number of sides that the deal is all but done, but admittedly, the drama continues to build with each passing day.
Other U.S. Division coaching hires
Wenatchee: Don Nachbaur
The Wenatchee Wild wanted more stability with its new bench boss, and they found that stability courtesy of veteran coach Don Nachbaur, making Wenatchee his fourth destination in the WHL.
After spending 19 prior seasons in Seattle, Tri-City, and Spokane, and despite having yet to win a WHL title, the notoriously hard-nosed Nachbaur is a successful coach in league and is currently in third place all time for coaching wins. He is just eight wins away from the illustrious 700-win mark.
Spokane: Brad Lauer
The Silvertips and Spokane Chiefs followed similar timelines in each of their hiring processes, with both citing immigration issues as the primary reason for why they took so long.
But who wouldn’t want to wait for a guy like Brad Lauer? While his stint with the Winnipeg Jets failed to produce the expected special teams results, those results came easier for him with the Edmonton Oil Kings.
Lauer lays claim to the highest winning percentage in WHL history at .792, and he led the Oil Kings to their second Memorial Cup in 2021-22.
Spokane GM Matt Bardsley said the hiring of Lauer came from the team’s desire to maximize the talent they have on the current roster, while fostering the younger players to step into more prominent leadership roles.
“Lauer understands that from the development side that it takes patience and repetition with young players,” Bardsley said. “But at the same time he’s mentioned multiple times preparing them for ultimately everybody’s goal to get to the NHL.”
Portland: Kyle Gustafson
The defending Western Conference champion Portland Winterhawks are about to enter a new era.
Mike Johnston surprisingly decided to step back from the head coaching position in the Rose City after 14 seasons and a jaw-dropping 545 wins, but he still plans to remain the team’s president and general manager.
Taking his place is associate coach Kyle Gustafson, who’s been Johnston’s right-hand man since the beginning of his first tenure in 2011. He’s been with Portland practically every year since 2003 as either an assistant or associate coach.
Other news
- Tri-City traded Kraken defensive prospect Lukas Dragicevic, along with goalie Eric Kahl to the Prince Albert Raiders for three players and a draft selection. Dragicevic, 19, reportedly put in a request with GM Bob Tory to be traded.
- Spokane officially put in a bid to host the 2026 Memorial Cup. If Spokane is selected, it would mark the first time since 1998 that junior hockey’s marquee tournament would take place in the state of Washington.
- Seattle Thunderbirds Scott Ratzlaff and Sawyer Mynio, and Chiefs center and Kraken prospect Berkly Catton are participants for Canada at the World Junior Summer Showcase.
- Mynio impressed in his WJSS game against Sweden on Wednesday with one goal and one assist.
- WHL training camps are less than a month away.
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