Nick Wicks is taking his hockey career north.
The 20-year-old forward from South Delta is headed to the NCAA Division One level next fall at the University of Alaska-Anchorage. Wicks agreed to a scholarship offer last summer then proceeded to make the most of his final season in the B.C. Hockey League, producing a career-high 59 points, including 18 goals, while captaining the Merritt Centennials.
The Seawolves program has been a strong recruiting presence in the BCHL with a dozen grads on their roster last season. Among them is Wicks’ former Merritt teammate Zach Court who is coming off his freshman campaign.
“I went up there for a couple of days last summer which gave me a chance to get to know the coaching staff. There were also still some players up there so I got a feel of that environment too,” said the South Delta Secondary graduate. “I felt comfortable being there and I also liked the coaches’ approach to everything.”
The Seawolves are part of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association which includes Minnesota State, Northern Michigan, Bowling Green, Lake Superior State, Bemidji State, Michigan Tech, Alabama Huntsville and Ferris State. Besides facing state rival Alaska Fairbanks, it means flying for away games which is a sharp contrast to the bus trips in the BCHL.
“It’s going to be a little bit of a change, almost a professional atmosphere when it comes to traveling,” Wicks continued. “The neat thing is I have buddies on almost every team in the conference and my former roommate is now playing for Alaska Fairbanks.”
Wicks came through South Delta Minor Hockey before spending two seasons at the Delta Hockey Academy, playing for the Wild Elite 15 and Midget Prep teams. It was then a productive campaign in the Pacific Junior Hockey League with the Richmond Sockeyes where he led the team in scoring with 41 points.
That opened the door for his opportunity in Merritt where he would spend the next three seasons playing under GM and head coach Joe Martin.
Wicks not only had to adjust to playing at the junior “A” level but living away from home for the first time and in a small town of just over 7,000.
“It’s something I wasn’t use to but it turned out to be really cool,” he reflected. “We were very involved in the community. We helped out at the elementary schools on almost a weekly basis and people would just message our coach and we would be there to help. Like shoveling driveways for seniors when we got a lot of snow.
“One of the best parts was living so close to my teammates because it was such a small area. We would get the odd Sunday off and would drive to Kamloops or Kelowna if the roads weren’t bad.”
Wicks also became close to his billets – Amanda Stock and Terrance Thomas. They even spent some time vacationing with his family during the summer.
“It was a bit weird and an adjustment at first but now they are like my other family,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything and I kind of wish I was going back for another season but it’s time to move on.”
Wicks is also grateful for what Martin did for his career. Ironically, he is also on the move, accepting the GM and head coach position in Alberni Valley.
“He helped me out a ton,” Wicks added. “He is definitely a huge part of why I am moving on and why I had so much fun in Merritt. It was a huge honour to be captain for him in my final year.”
The Centennials enjoyed an outstanding regular season with a 36-15-4 record before being upset by Trail in the opening round of the playoffs in what was a highly competitive Interior Division.
Still Wicks, had plenty of highlights in his final BCHL campaign, perhaps none more than a visit to Coquitlam back in January.
That’s when his younger brother Garrett was called-up from major midget by the Express and the Wicks lined-up against each other for the game’s opening face-off.
Garrett looked like he would get the best of his brother by earning his first-ever BCHL point with an assist until Nick scored the tying goal with 36 seconds left and also notched the overtime winner.
