Bulls' Hicks Named SPHL All-Star Coach

PELHAM, AL - The Birmingham Bulls are enjoying a fantastic season, coming into the second half of the season in third place in the Suuthern Professional Hockey League. And much of that success can be attributed to head coach Jamey Hicks, who was announced this week as one of the coaches on the SPHL All Star roster.

Although there is not an actual scheduled game for the SPHL All Stars, a North Squad and South Squad were chosen, with Hicks tapped as the South coach.

Coach Hicks makes his first appearance to the SPHL All-Star Team this season. His Birmingham Bulls opened the 2018-19 season with a league-record 11-game winning streak to open the season. Looking back to last season, the Bulls have made the biggest turnaround in the league. In 2017-18, Hicks’ Bulls squad finished with a 22-28-6 record, ninth in the SPHL and out of the postseason. As of today, Birmingham is 20-9-2.

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Hicks was unanimously selected as coach of the Team South squad by a polling of the other coaches in the SPHL. The Peterborough, Ontario, native was lauded by his contemporaries as professional, prepared, and dignified.

“It’s a team award,” said Hicks in reaction to his all-star selection, “I’m really happy for our guys, happy for our franchise, and we’re going in the right direction.”

Hicks is no stranger to all-star teams and accolades. During his playing days with the ECHL Birmingham Bulls, Hicks was named to the 1999 ECHL All-Star Team. In the 1997-98 season, Hicks was the ECHL’s most valuable player, leading the league in scoring with 119 points.

On his previous all-star experience in the ECHL, Hicks reflected, “It was really cool… just to be on the same team as some of these guys, and (Minnesota Wild Head Coach) Bruce Boudreau was the coach and I was thinking, ‘That guy’s going to be coaching in the NHL one day.'”

“You take everything you can gain from being around those guys. It’s great to look back on it now,” said Hicks.

Photo by Solomon Crenshaw, Jr./Alabama NewsCenter