A 22-year-old Red Deer man has made his debut as an American Hockey League linesman.
Jacob Hicks served as a linesman for a matchup between the Calgary Wranglers and Abbotsford Canucks at the Calgary Saddledome on Saturday, Oct. 12. The AHL is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League.
"It's my dream to work for the NHL. I'm pretty grateful to work for the league below that," Hicks told the Advocate a week after making his professional debut.
"Working in an NHL building was surreal. During the national anthem I was looking around and taking it all in — it was pretty sweet."
When he was 13 years old, the born-and-raised Red Deerian decided to stop playing hockey so he could focus on playing volleyball — he later played for the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings' volleyball squad for three years. Even though he wasn't going to play hockey anymore, he still wanted to stay involved in the game.
"I took an officiating clinic, ending up liking it and being decent at it. It was never something I pictured myself pursuing until year five or six. I always loved it. It was a way to stay on my skates," he said.
Last year, Hicks was hired as a linesman in the Western Hockey League. Through his work there, as well as at a National Hockey League official combine in the summer of 2023 and a Hockey Canada development event, Hicks earned a linesman job at in the AHL this past September.
"The AHL is definitely a step up (from the WHL)," said Hicks.
"The biggest difference is that they are men out there. Not only is it fast like in the WHL, but there are some heavy bodies with high hockey IQ. From my end of things, I have to be quick on my skates and make sure I'm in the right spots — you have to read and anticipate what's going to happen. They move the puck quickly and they skate real fast. You've got to be there for moments to ensure you're making the right decisions."
He has a few more AHL games on his schedule later this month and will also continue working in the WHL this season. Hicks said that he credits a lot of his success to the Hockey Alberta development pathway, the leagues he has worked in, including the WHL and Alberta Junior Hockey League, and the veteran linesmen in the Red Deer area who mentored him along the way.
Hicks is also currently in his final year at RDP, where he has studied to become a teacher. He is currently completing his practicum at Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School.
"They've been super flexible with me. There have been times I've had to leave early to get to a game in Calgary. Coming up I'm going to Ontario for the U17 World Challenge and the practicum is allowing me to miss a few days of teaching so I can go to that," he said.
