WENATCHEE, Wash. – One of the biggest challenges each season for a 15-Only team is building an all-new roster.

With only one age group represented at the 15O level, each new season brings a brand-new group of players. This season’s Wenatchee Wild Hockey Academy 15O team also included a new head coach, as Spencer White made the move up from serving as an assistant coach under Norm Lochten. There were a few challenges, but plenty of close calls as well – this year’s team included 16 skaters and two goaltenders, finishing with three wins to go along with five ties.

A tie against the Chesterfield Falcons came early, at the annual CCM Tournament in Denver. Then, a league tie against Tri-City in October…another tie came at the CCM World Invite in Chicago in November, against the Orange County Hockey Club.

Finally, the first win of the season came just before the holiday break, with a 9-4 win in league play against the Tacoma Rockets 16U team. A weekend split nearly became a weekend sweep, as the Rockets snared a 3-2 win the following day to send Wenatchee into the holiday break.

“Those ties are tough, because obviously we want to win those games, and we were right there with them the whole time,” said White. “A  tie is better than a loss, so we’ll take them – it’s always nice to see our guys in close battles and really competing with the other team.”

Two more wins followed in the second half of the year, against the Idaho Skills Academy, before Wenatchee wrapped up its season with a visit to Presidents Day on the Beach in Palm Beach, Florida, and a pair of league contests against the Seattle Jr. Mets.

Kai Nichols led the scoring for the 15s with 34 points, and Micah Bottamini was close behind at 31 points. Several players earned call-ups during the season as well, landing temporary spots on the 16U team’s CSSHL roster.

“Unfortunately, we ran into a lot of sickness, injury, illness, and that sort of stuff at the end of the season,” said White. “I do think our best hockey was played in the last couple of months – unfortunately, we didn’t get to do state or districts, so we finished off with some tournaments and we had some fun down in Florida, but I really liked the way we ended it.”

White will remain in the program next season, serving as the Wild Hockey Academy’s 14U head coach. Wenatchee Wild Hockey Academy tryouts for the 2026-27 season are scheduled for April 17 to 19 at Town Toyota Center and the Weinstein Beverage Rink in Wenatchee. Registration is currently open for the 2026-27 tryouts – for more information or to sign up, visit www.wenatcheewildhockeyacademy.com.