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WHL Wenatchee Wild

Wild Head Coach Sommer to be Inducted Monday to American Hockey League Hall of Fame

January 31, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Wenatchee Wild News Release


Wenatchee Wild Head Coach Roy Sommer
Wenatchee Wild Head Coach Roy Sommer
(Wenatchee Wild, Credit: Russ Alman)

WENATCHEE, Wash. - Wenatchee Wild head coach Roy Sommer will spend this weekend returning to where it all began.

A native of the Bay Area in northern California, Sommer will take a brief sabbatical from Wenatchee's upcoming weekend road trip, as he is inducted into this year's American Hockey League Hall of Fame class. This year's induction is set to take place as part of the festivities at the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Tech CU, and hosted by the San Jose Barracuda. Sommer's inclusion in this year's AHL Hall of Fame class was announced October 31.

The American Hockey League Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony is scheduled for Monday, February 5. Associate head coach Chris Clark and assistant coach Andrew Sarauer will handle coaching duties in his absence for Wenatchee's Sunday afternoon game this weekend at the Everett Silvertips.

"I was notified that I was to be inducted a few months ago, so I thought I had a lot of time to prepare myself, but it's kind of snuck up on me," said Sommer. "45 miles away (from San Jose), I grew up in Oakland, so some of my friends that I played minor hockey with are going to attend. Friends that I met over the years in San Jose will be coming to the induction, and my brothers and my son and daughter are coming out. It's three days with a lot of faces that I haven't seen in a while, so it'll be a lot of old stories being told and some new faces also."

Sommer has enjoyed the most decorated resume of any coach in AHL history - his 828 career wins are far and away the most in league history, and his 25 seasons as an AHL head coach is also a league record. His teams won four division titles, and he earned the AHL's Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as its outstanding coach in the 2016-17 season, in which he led the San Jose Barracuda to a franchise-best 43 wins and a spot in the Western Conference final. He also coached three times in the AHL All-Star Classic.

During his professional coaching career, more than 150 of his players moved on to play in the National Hockey League, and Sommer himself served twice as an assistant coach in the NHL. Sommer coached in the San Jose Sharks organization from 1996 to 2022, with 10 of those seasons spent in San Jose with the Sharks and the Barracuda.

He also enjoyed a notable playing career, playing 10 seasons of pro hockey after being drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1977. He appeared in three games for the NHL's Edmonton Oilers in 1981, and later won the 1984 AHL Calder Cup with the Maine Mariners.

Formed in 2006 to recognize, honor and celebrate individuals for their outstanding achievements and contributions in the American Hockey League, the AHL Hall of Fame is housed online at AHLHallofFame.com and is accessible to fans worldwide as part of the AHL Internet Network.

The Wenatchee Wild proudly congratulate Roy Sommer on this weekend's induction to the American Hockey League Hall of Fame and are excited to see him receive this well-deserved honor.

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Wenatchee Wild Head Coach Roy Sommer
Wenatchee Wild Head Coach Roy Sommer
(Russ Alman)		   



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