Michael Dyck spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach with the Toronto Marlies.
The Vancouver Giants welcomed back a familiar face this off-season as they hired Michael Dyck to become the franchise's head coach and general manager. The 58-year-old spent the last three seasons with the Toronto Marlies, including a Calder Cup championship in 2026. Now, Dyck is returning to the WHL for what will be a new challenge.
For the first time in his career, Dyck will serve as a GM at the WHL level. On the coaching side, he has plenty of experience, with almost 550 games behind the bench. When asked by The Hockey News about being both a head coach and GM, Dyck spoke about how he is adjusting to the new role.
"It's busy, said Dyck. "I think right now I'm just trying to find a routine. I mean, the coaching thing I'm used to. I coached a long time, so developed a routine that I'm very comfortable with, both at this level and when I was working in Toronto. Now adding the management side, something I've never done before. I think the biggest thing is there's a lot of things coming at me in terms of decisions to make. I think it's just a matter of developing that routine, prioritizing things and executing them, as opposed to times getting a little overwhelmed with things. But for the most part, it's an exciting part of the job being able to build a team."
One major difference between when Dyck left the WHL in 2023 and now is the new NCAA rule. Players across the league are leaving earlier than expected, which can create difficult situations for organizations trying to build for the future. As Dyck explained, the NCAA factor is something he and teams around the CHL will have to get used to, as it looks like it's here to stay.
"I think the challenge and just the reality of it is, recruiting was always a part of our job here in the Western Hockey League, but now I don't think we ever had an issue with maintenance in terms of keeping guys here. I think the challenge now is not only recruiting but maintaining these relationships and keeping them. Let's be honest, we know that for a lot of these guys, that's the next step for them. They're looking for opportunities in college. So I think for us, we worry about what we can control, and that's building a solid program. That way, we can focus on not only having success. I think the key for us is developing players and people."
The flip side of the NCAA rule is that the WHL has the opportunity to bring in American players or those who have already committed to universities. Examples currently in the league include Parker Trottier of the Regina Pats, AJ Reyelts of the Penticton Vees, and Noah Davidson of the Medicine Hat Tigers. According to Dyck, the Giants are doing everything they can to try to identify talent across North America that may not have been available before.
"Well, you just need more scouts. You need to have more eyes on what's going on. Not only in our catchment area, but kids are playing all over the place now. We have scouts as far east as New England, New York, because there's so many players playing high schools all over the United States. It's just a matter of making sure that you have people on the ground watching these guys and identifying them."
As mentioned, Dyck has spent the last three seasons in the AHL. During his tenure, he had the chance to coach some high-end prospects, including Alex Steeves, Bobby McMann, Fraser Minten, Nikita Grebyonkin and Henry Thrun. As Dyck explained, his time in the AHL was a great opportunity, as it allowed him to develop as a coach.
"I think the American League is the second-best league in the world, and maybe number one in terms of development. I know that's the priority. Looking at that model, you certainly apply a lot of the principles here. I think the focus definitely is on development over winning there. It's obviously an important part of the game that you have success and that you're going in the right direction. But I think the big priority was development. Here, we want to build something around a process where we develop players. But I think if we do it well enough, we can win. I think the development model was something I learned a lot from there, and I can certainly apply some of those things here."
"Shifting over to this year, Dyck is focused on building a tough team to play against in Vancouver. He will also be tasked with getting the Giants back into the playoffs, as their campaign ended early last season. Ultimately, Dyck wants to make sure his team is a tight-knit group known for being difficult to play against.
Michael Dyck of the Vancouver Giants (Photo Credit: Rob Wilton/Vancouver Giants)"I think the culture we really want to focus a lot on. Building relationships that are going to drive performance, but also drive development. I think we're gonna focus on that. The development part, not only on the ice, but off the ice. Developing people. We want to do it in a way that we're going to be having success with it. I think in terms of an identity, we want to be hard to play against and focus a lot on really being a competitive team. A fast team and a team that has some resiliency. You're going to have to pack your lunch if you want to beat us. It's going to take a while. So, I think those three things are sort of the predominant things that stick with us because we can control that. You can debate talent, but you can't debate hard work, and you can't debate mental toughness. I think those are areas that we can focus on, and that'll be our foundation."
Finally, Dyck's return to the WHL is significant as it has been his home for close to three decades. He started as a scout for the Kamloops Blazers in the early 90s and has since won a Memorial Cup and helped guide Canada to multiple Gold Medals. As for Vancouver, the area has become special to him and his family, which makes this return even sweeter.
"That was a big part of my decision to come here. It's home for me now. Even though I was in Toronto, my family was here. So, to come back home, we've got a place here, and also to come back to the Giants, obviously, I know the ownership group here, Ron Toigo, very well. He's obviously a great person to work for, very loyal, and so in that sense, it was an easier decision to come back."
The Giants kick off their 2026-27 campaign on September 19 against the Kelowna Rockets. For Dyck, this will be his 26th year in the WHL and 13th season involved with Vancouver. In 545 games as a head coach, he has a record of 274-231-40 and is projected to pick up his 300th regular-season win this year.
Make sure you bookmark THN's WHL site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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