Heading into the 2025-26 Season, defenseman Joe Hicketts looks to continue his consistent play for the Ontario Reign. 

The Ontario Reign look to build off their season from last year after finishing 3rd in the Pacific division, and veteran defenseman Joe Hicketts looks to be a leader for the back end of his team. Last season, Hicketts played 62 games, registering 3 goals and 24 assists for 27 points, which put him 10th in points on his team. Hicketts was named team captain last season, and he took over the leadership role for his team.

Hicketts filled the role of Captain perfectly, as He is known for being a vocal leader, a player willing to block tough shots and go into the dirty areas of the ice to benefit his team. The coach for the Reign, Marco Strum, had some high praise for his Captain. “First of all, that’s why he’s the Captain, right? He leads by example every day. Secondly, I hope those young kids watch him. How he prepares and brings it every night..There’s no other better player for our [defensive] core group to watch every day and learn from him,”. 

Hicketts is the core of the Ontario Reign. Although he does not statistically have the most points on his team, his style of play and willingness to put his body on the line for his team demonstrate that he is committed to his role, regardless of the title he holds within the team. Hicketts is known for his physical play, which allows his team to feed off his energy. His ability to break up passes and cause counterattacks for the Reign is an aspect of his game that his team values immensely. 

2025-2026 Expectations 

With the LA Kings' left-handed defensive core consisting of Mikey Anderson, Joel Edmundson, and Brian Dumoulin, barring any injuries with those players, I do not see Hicketts being called up to the Kings this season. With his consistent play and his last two seasons as a member of the Reign, where he registered 20 and 27 points, respectively, I would expect him to stay around that point mark. While Hickett's value is not based on his statistics, but rather on his strong, selfless defensive play, I would predict he would get 20-25 points, with the majority of those points being assists. It may not be a massive amount of points, but what Hicketts lacks in points, he makes up for in his defensive game.