Position: Defense
Height/Weight: 5’8”, 177 pounds
Shoots: Left
Birthday: May 4, 1996 (22 years old)
Birthplace: Kamloops, BC
Drafted: Undrafted (2014 NHL Entry Draft)
Contract: 3 years, $635,000 AAV (ELC - 2 years of entry level slide). Expires after 2018-19 season as RFA.
In 2017-18, the diminutive Detroit defenseman made a very strong case in training camp and pre-season that he deserved to start the season in the NHL. Instead, he began the season in Grand Rapids.
An October article by Katie Strang in The Athletic Detroit (Paywall) illustrated that it wasn’t just fans who thought Hicketts showed he belongs in the NHL:
Then the Red Wings played him in an exhibition game against the talented Toronto Maple Leafs and got answers.