TRI-CITIES, Wash.-The Tri-City Americans opened their 38th Western Hockey League (WHL) season on the road in Seattle with a hard-fought 6-3 loss to the Thunderbirds on September 20.
“I will do everything in my power to put the people and processes in place to establish a competitive culture and help Tri-Cities become a top team in the WHL,” said Jon Sortland, President of the Americans, who is heading into his first full season as owner after purchasing the team in November.
The Americans have a new head coach for the 2025-26 season, and the organization will utilize technology to perform better on the ice, while continuing to embrace its role as a longtime community partner.
Coaching staff
Jody Hull will lead the Americans onto the ice as the 17th head coach in franchise history, replacing Stu Barnes, who stepped down as coach to pursue other opportunities but remains a minority owner of the team.
“Jody brings vigor, intensity, and a new perspective to the team,” said Sortland. “He’s a good person and has a great family off the ice, he’s the kind of person we want as part of our organization.”
Hull played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1988 until 2004, skating in over 800 games, and was an assistant with the Americans for the past three seasons.
“We have an outstanding group of coaches leading the charge,” said Sortland, of a coaching staff that includes assistants Ben Assad, T.J. Millar, and Strength and Conditioning Coach Kristy Osborn.
Technological advances
Osborn has formalized a strength and conditioning program for the Americans, and the organization invested in Catapult tracking and performance software to measure conditioning this season.
“NHL teams use it, but the Americans are one of the early adopters in the WHL,” said Sortland. “We see it as a valuable investment that will provide information to proactively manage workloads, design workouts, and see how players are performing.”
Small chips will be sewn into the jerseys of Americans players this season, and sensors around the arena will monitor metrics such as speed, the distance skated and heart rate. The data collected will gauge what and how much players do and help determine if they are overtaxed on the ice.
The Americans will also be sharper when they take the ice this season, literally, as the organization invested in a skate sharpening machine over the offseason.
“Now every player gets the exact same sharpening every time,” said Sortland. “The machine will help our equipment manager and provide consistency for our players to be their best every time they step on the ice.”
The team
“Our team is fairly young, but we’ve got some veteran leadership, and we’re backed up by two exceptional goalies,” said Sortland. “We expect to be competitive night in and night out and be in the hunt for the playoffs at the end of the season.”
On the ice, the Americans will be led by Charlie Elick, a 6’3” Defenseman out of Calgary who was drafted in the second round of the 2024 NHL draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Forwards Gavin Garland and Savin Virk should provide both leadership and offense for the team, with Garland returning after a 21-point season and Virk being a point-a-game player down the stretch last season.
Between the pipes, the Americans should be anchored by Ryan Grout and Xavier Wendt, two of the top goalies in the WHL.
Grout, from Sturgeon County, Alberta, was the first 16-year-old to be awarded an NCAA hockey scholarship and was drafted by the Americans in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft.
Wendt signed with the Americans in May of 2025 after helping the U.S. win gold at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics and is considered one of the top goalie prospects in the world.
“We expect to be competitive night in and night out and be in the hunt for the playoffs at the end of the season,” said Sortland.
Team and community
The Americans are an ingrained part of the greater Tri-Cities area community, and the organization gives back as much as it can to the fans who support them, with players involved in projects, causes and events off the ice at least once a month.
“It’s not just about winning games, we have an obligation to our players, most of whom are 16 and 17-year-olds, to help them develop as players on the ice, and good people off it,” said Sortland.
Last season, Good Shepherd Health Care System (GSHCS) partnered with the Americans to become the official hospital of the team, a partnership that will continue for the 2025-26 season.
“The Tri-City Americans are especially grateful to partner with an organization like Good Shepherd Health Care System, which, like us, strives to be a “community asset” to benefit all citizens in the greater Tri-Cities area, including Northeast Oregon,” said Sortland.
Good Shepherd sponsors a Community Service Award presented monthly to an Americans player for their service in the community, as well as an annual award for Humanitarian of the Year.
The Americans also partner with the Good Shepherd Community Health Foundation to raise money for breast cancer awareness during the team’s annual “pink ice night” in February.
“Support from Good Shepherd Health Care System not only helps us pursue our goals on the ice, but it also directly benefits the community by enabling us to continue providing affordable athletic entertainment to the citizens of our area,” said Sortland.
The Americans will hit the ice in Spokane against the Chiefs on September 27, before the team’s home opener at the Toyota Center in Kennewick on October 4 against the Wenatchee Wild, with puck drop set for 6:05 p.m.
Americans tickets are available online or at the Toyota Center box office.
