Photo courtesy of Dai Sport Cardiff forward Bryce Reddick controls the puck during a game in the 2018 season for the Devils.

EAGLE RIVER, Wis. — While a former Michigan Tech Huskies forward has moved on from coaching the North American Hockey League’s Wisconsin Windigo, another has decided to take the next step in his career by joining the new Windigo staff for the 2024-25 season. Houghton native Blake Hietala has moved on to coach at the NCAA level, and Windigo have added Bryce Reddick to head coach John Mitchell’s staff.

Reddick, who spent four years at Michigan Tech from 2008-12, moved on to play 11 seasons of professional hockey, both domestically and abroad, and he is proud of what he has already accomplished in his career before hanging the skates up this spring.

“It’s something I can hang my hat on,” he said. “I mean, it’s not something I dreamed of, so to speak. I mean, every kid obviously wants to make it to the NHL, but, looking back on it, it’s something I’m proud of.

“I got to see the world, and was able to make a decent amount of money to not have to work in the offseason. Yeah, it was good.”

The son of former NHL goaltender Pokey Reddick, who spent parts of six seasons in the highest professional league in North America, along with multiple seasons in the American Hockey League, the International Hockey League, and the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, and one season in the United Hockey League, Bryce had a chance, over the course of his own career, to meet people from several different walks of life, all of whom have left lasting impressions on him.

“Meeting so many different people, too,.was another bonus,” Bryce said. “So many people you wouldn’t think you’d ever cross paths with that you end up crossing paths with. It was a blessing. It was awesome. I mean, I have nothing bad to say about any of my experiences.”

Bryce’s career nearly ended before it ever really got started during his time at Michigan Tech. Injuries were a factor in his time in Houghton, as he played in 21 games as a freshman and then just 28 over the next two seasons, all under then-head coach Jamie Russell.

“My first three years, it was tough, right?” he said. “I think it’s safe to say it didn’t pan out for me like it was supposed to and people thought (it would). Those first three years were really, really hard on me, just because I’m super competitive. I obviously wanted to play at the highest level possible, and I think I went to school too early. I wasn’t ready to be there hockey-wise and maturity-wise.”

He was a senior when Mel Pearson took over the program in 2011, and during that final season, he blossomed with the help of Pearson and assistant coach Bill Muckalt, to play in 25 games, scoring four goals and seven points.

“When Mel and Billy Muckalt came in, it was a breath of fresh air for me, and they kind of gave me a second wind and a new opportunity,” he said. “I really enjoyed that last year a lot.”

Bryce, who came to Michigan Tech at 18, compared his own collegiate experience to that of a teammate of his, Brett Olson, and he believes that Olson, who entered college at the age of 21, was better prepared for the experience.

“If you look at a guy like Brett Olson, he came in at 21 and kind of took the bull by the horns and had a great career at Tech and a great pro career,” said Bryce. “Whereas me, I came in as a true freshman, and I really, really struggled. If I kind of took the same path as him, spent the whole time I could have in junior, I mean, it might have been different. But, at the end of the day, you never know what can happen.”

After the success of his senior year, Bryce did not jump immediately to professional hockey, as Pearson and his staff appealed to the NCAA in the hopes of being able to get him one more year of college hockey to make up for his prior injuries. When the NCAA ruled against him, he made the move to professional hockey, joining the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL for a game. Shortly after that game, he came across an opportunity to join the Idaho Steelheads for the final 29 games of the season, thanks, in large part, to a former Huskies teammate.

“There was a team in Vegas, and that’s where I grew up. That’s where my father made a home for me,” said Bryce. “So, the coach offered me a tryout, and I went in and made the team on a tryout. That was the year of the lockout, so there were a lot of misplaced players. I was on the team for probably two months and only ended up playing one game.

“(I) got put on waivers, and then Josh Robinson was playing in Boise that year, and they were short bodies. He called me one day, they were playing in Vegas, and said, ‘Hey, like, we were short bodies. Do you want to come play?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, of course.'”

Bryce was actually heading out to play golf with some friends when he received the call. Getting that call from a former teammate like Robinson was the icing on the cake for him. The two continue to work together to this day with the hockey school that Robinson runs in Florida.

“I think if he and I didn’t get along, I wouldn’t have had the career I had, because at the end of the day, it was because of him that I got that opportunity,” Bryce said. “So, that’s something that we really preach to kids. You have to treat everyone with the same level of respect, because you never know who can help you at the end of the day.”

After trying to carve out a role on a couple of different ECHL squads, Bryce made the jump to Europe, spending a year in France with Brest, and a year in Denmark with the Aalborg Pirates before settling into a role with the Cardiff Devils of the Elite Ice Hockey League in the United Kingdom.

“The ECHL, and the North American pro hockey landscape is such a grind,” he said. “It’s hard to get opportunities. For me, if you look at the games played, I didn’t play much, but I was on the team the whole year. It’s kind of like I’m sitting there just practicing, or sitting watching games, and I was kind of over it. So, I did make that jump to Europe, and over there is where I really kind of set my foot in pro, and I made a name for myself.”

In his three seasons with the Devils from 2017-20, he played in 151 games, scoring 14 goals and 59 points over that stretch. The Devils won a title during that run.

“That was such a good place to play,” said Bryce. “I mean, if you look at the rosters my three years there, we had guys who had played up to 500 games in the NHL, guys who had led the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League) in scoring. There, you get treated so well financially away from the rink, at the rink. It was such a good place to be. That’s why I kind of stuck there, and I had so many good relationships there. I still do to this day. So, for me, that was a really, really good move and good spot.”

With the COVID pandemic spinning up, and marital issues with his wife back in the U.S., Bryce made the tough decision to return to the ECHL in 2020, where he played parts of three seasons for the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.

The Swamp Rabbits were coached by Andrew Lord, who was hired after his successful run with the Devils while Bryce was playing there, so that helped convince Bryce to give the Swamp Rabbits a try. Lord gave Bryce a chance to learn the ropes of coaching while he was in Greenville.

“I was signed to play in Atlanta, and they didn’t play,” Bryce said. “So, the coach in Greenville, who was my coach in Cardiff for the three years, called me, and he was like, ‘Hey, you can come play for me. It’s only an hour and a half from your house (in Atlanta). You can go home whenever you want, no big deal.”

While he played in just 38 games that first season in Greenville, Bryce was thankful for the opportunity that Lord offered him, because it gave him a chance to try to work things out in his marriage. Ultimately, Bryce and his wife decided to part ways, but he appreciated getting a chance to play when he could.

“It was refreshing to have no mental stress, the stress of ending a relationship, selling a house, all of that type of stuff,” said Bryce. “So, it was all not hockey based. I think I would have played the same amount of games that year, but it was because of the divorce and getting rid of everything and selling our house. He (Lord) was very good to me in that aspect.”

The following season, Bryce played in 64 games, scoring five goals and 16 points. He also had a chance to learn about coaching behind the scenes, which helped him realize that when his playing career came to a close, there might be something new he could do to remain in the sport in the future.

He moved back to the EIHL for one final season in 2023-24 with the Glasgow Clan.under head coach Jason Morgan, a former professional player that Bryce played with in Arizona briefly.

“That was just the head coach there,” Bryce said. “We actually played together my second year pros, so he brought me over. I kind of knew going into it that it was most likely going to be my last year, so I just wanted to have fun with it.

“We had a really good group, a small group of really good guys. So, we had a blast. We were awful on the ice, but, away from the rink, we had such a good time. I’m glad it ended on that note, just with some guys that I’ll probably be lifelong friends with. We had a really, really good time together.”

Bryce is excited to get into coaching with the Windigo this season. He credits Hietala with putting him in touch with Mitchell, and the rest, as they say, is history. He also, even more firmly, believes in treating everyone with respect, because he feels that he would not have gotten his start in professional hockey without Robinson’s help, and he would not be jumping into coaching without the assistance of Hietala.

“That just reiterates the message that I kind of preach,” said Bryce. “You have to be a good person, because at the end of the day, you never know who you’re going to need to be in your corner.”

The Windigo hit the ice for preseason play on Friday, Sept. 13, with two games against the Chippewa Steel at the Eagle River Sports Arena.