Tuesday, 04.10.18 / 3:39 pm CT
The IceRays have hired former Corpus Christi Hooks GM Michael Wood to begin immediately as the team’s new General Manager.
“I look forward to working with Michael for years to come,” IceRays Assistant General Manager Cassidy Lange said. “His knowledge in the sports industry is second-to-none. With him being not only with the Hooks, but also with the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers, there’s a lot to be learned by our staff from someone as well-rounded in the sports industry.”
Wood will help the organization throughout the 2017-18 playoffs and will commence the 2018-19 campaign as his first full season with the IceRays. He brings a rich baseball background to the team, having served as GM for the Hooks for 10 years.
The Lubbock, TX native got his start with the MLB’s Texas Rangers in the ticketing office before eventually being hired as the Director of Ticket Operations in 1999. He worked for the Rangers for 11 years prior to moving to Corpus Christi. When the Rangers’ ownership merged with the NHL’s Dallas Stars, Wood also worked in the Stars’ ticketing department, overseeing the season ticket process and helping with the team’s transfer from Reunion Arena to the American Airlines Center in 2001.
Wood graduated from Austin College in 1991 and currently resides in Corpus Christi with his wife, Liza, and their children Kenedy (11) and Keane (8). Though his previous experience in the sports industry has been with professional teams rather than amateur, Wood believes the IceRays provide an atmosphere and an experience that is in a place to merely be improved upon, not completely overhauled.
“We’ve got a great organization in place, and I’m really looking forward to trying to bring us up to the next level,” Wood said. “I’m not here to make all sorts of changes, because I think this organization does lots of great things already. It’s just a matter of finding those areas where we can do even better.”
One area which the IceRays have done better over the last few years has been the hockey side of the operation. For the first time in junior franchise history, the IceRays have secured a playoff berth in back-to-back seasons. They will kick off the postseason with Game One of a best-of-five division semi-final series this Friday, April 13th in Shreveport, Louisiana at George’s Pond Coliseum against the Shreveport Mudbugs. Puck drop is set for 7:11 pm CT. The game will be broadcast in HD on HockeyTV, as well as on SportsRadio Corpus Christi (1230 AM, 95.1 FM, 96.1 FM).
