A Message from Fresno Monsters team owner, David White:

To our loyal fans, housing families, sponsors, volunteers, players, and staff:

I have been supporting the Monsters program here in Fresno for more years than I have realized have passed. As changes ultimately take place, we have experience good times, challenging times, and sad times. One thing holds true: my family and I strive to provide a stable environment for this program. The mission of our overall organization is to provide our amateur athletes with the greatest opportunities we can via their development. It is a pivotal time in their lives, and we don’t take that responsibility lightly.

A key part in this role is to have the right leaders. We have been greatly blessed having Bryce Dale as our general manager and head coach of the Fresno Monsters. We are saddened by his departure, but we very excited for him as he strives to reach new goals in his life. He has done an admirable job for us.

What does this mean for the Monsters?

Shoot the Puck, Inc. & Shoot the Puck Foundation, businesses of which the Monsters are under, also operate 4 teams in the state of Washington:

• The Wenatchee Wild of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL),
• The Wenatchee Wolves: an 18U AAA program, which participates in both the Norpac (Northern Pacific Hockey League, NPHL) and the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL)
• The Wenatchee Wilderness: a new 16U AAA program that will play at an elite level in both Washington and Canada
• The Wenatchee Wolverines; a 14U AAA program
  And hopefully by the 2017-18 season we will have Hockey Canada approval for our first girls team, most likely a 19U program.

The Fresno Monsters team was my first involvement in amateur hockey and holds a special place in my heart. Going forward, it will be more directly supervised by our staff in Washington. We must make sure each and every player is on the team that best furthers his development. Wenatchee Wild general manager and head coach Bliss Littler and the staff in Wenatchee have been vetting potential candidates for the Fresno team’s head coaching job. They have done a phenomenal job with staffing for us in the past. The foundation is also working on a diversity program to help fund youth players at an early age that normally would not be financially able to play hockey over the other major sports.

This Fresno Monsters’ program has some wonderful people involved. We could not function without the strength of our housing program that Debbie Welcker has managed so tirelessly. Our personal training from Steve Sobonya is at an elite level. Our physical therapy with Gordon and Lindsay Iwahashi is top notch. Jeff Blair at Gateway Ice Center has always been a great supporter for us, and he has the players’ best interest above all else. James Karr has done an excellent job with his game day staff, creating as much excitement as possible for the fan base. Jeri Elsasser, who has been with us from the beginning, is always behind the scenes keeping us straight.

We know how important it is that we have the right head coach developing these players and working with you all here in Fresno. We will get the job done. I appreciate all of your support and will continue to count on your support moving forward. I apologize to anyone I didn’t single out who should have been included. We are in this for the players and for our great sport. The future is bright for hockey in Fresno.

Sincerely,

David E. White,
Shoot the Puck