The Ontario Reign, proud AHL affiliate of the NHL’s LA Kings, have named defenseman Joe Hicketts the fourth captain in the team’s AHL history.

In addition, the club also announced forwards Charles Hudon and Jeff Malott as alternate captains for 2024-25.

Hicketts, 28, appeared in 30 games with the Reign last season, where he posted 20 points (1-19=20) and added one goal and five assists (1-5=6) in eight Calder Cup Playoff games.

Signed by the Detroit Red Wings as an undrafted free agent on Sep. 24, 2014, Hicketts has skated in 22 career NHL games - all with Detroit - collecting five assists (0-5=5). The 5-8, 176-pound blueliner began his professional playing career with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL and has earned 217 points (35-182=217) with 290 penalty minutes and a plus-18 rating in 449 career AHL games split between Ontario, Iowa and Grand Rapids.

In 39 career Calder Cup Playoff games, Hicketts has produced 18 points (2-16=18) and helped Grand Rapids to a Calder Cup Championship in 2017, where he contributed eight points (1-7=8) in 19 postseason contests.

Prior to turning pro, Hicketts played four seasons of junior hockey in the Western Hockey League (WHL), tallying 173 points (32-141=173) with 149 PIM and a plus-69 rating in 224 career games with the Victoria Royals. He earned WHL Western Conference First All-Star Team honors in 2016 and Second All-Star Team in 2015. Hicketts also skated in 31 WHL playoff games, collecting 15 points (1-14=15).

Internationally, the Kamloops, British Columbia native represented Canada at International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) events on three occasions, including two IIHF World Junior Championships (2016 - alternate captain, 2015 - gold) and one IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship (2014 - bronze). In 19 contests, he posted 10 points (2-8=10).

Hicketts takes over the captaincy from TJ Tynan, who held it for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns before departing in July to join the Colorado Avalanche organization. The first two captains in AHL-Reign history were forwards Brett Sutter (2017-22) and Vincent LoVerde (2015-17).

Hudon, 30, enters his second season with the Reign while playing on an AHL contract. He finished 2023-24 with 54 points in 56 games on 20 goals and 34 assists before adding five points in eight Calder Cup Playoff appearances (3-2=5).

A native of Alma, Quebec, Hudon has played in 134 NHL games over the course of his 11-year professional career with the Colorado Avalanche and the Montreal Canadians, who drafted him in the 5th round of the 2012 NHL Draft. The left-shot winger has also played 436 AHL games where he’s accumulated 362 points (181-181=362) with the Reign, Colorado Eagles, Hamilton Bulldogs, St. John’s IceCaps, Laval Rocket and Syracuse Crunch.

Malott, 28, spent the majority of his first four professional seasons with the Manitoba Moose, the Winnipeg Jets’ AHL affiliate. In 2023-24, the 6-4, 201-pound forward produced his best professional season, establishing career marks in assists (30) and points (22-30=52) with 66 PIM in 70 games played for his third consecutive campaign with 40 or more points. Malott has recorded 157 points (82-75=157) and a plus-17 rating in 237 career regular-season AHL games with Manitoba and has added two goals in 12 Calder Cup Playoff contests. 

Malott signed with the Winnipeg organization in 2020 and made his NHL debut on March 20, 2022, against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Waterdown, Ontario native played four seasons for Cornell University (NCAA), helping the Big Red to regular-season conference titles in 2018 and 2020 and served as team captain his senior year in 2019-20. In 114 career NCAA games, Malott finished with 53 points (24-29=53) and a plus-26 rating.

The Reign open their 2024-25 season on Saturday at home against the San Jose Barracuda at 6 p.m. inside Toyota Arena.

Single game tickets for all Reign home contests  during the 2024-25 campaign are on sale now via axs.com and ontarioreign.com.

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