One of the winningest coaches in WHL history brings successful ways to the league's newest relocation project.

As the second coaching hire since moving from Winnipeg, Don Nachbaur has quite the task ahead of him. Going from a WHL Finals loss in 2023 against the Seattle Thunderbirds to a first-round exit at the hands of the Kelowna Rockets in six games, the Wenatchee Wild are looking to return to glory sooner rather than later.

Nachbaur is far from a newcomer to the Western Hockey League; since 1994-95, he has extended stints in Seattle, Tri-City, and Spokane under his belt, as well as a sprinkle of experience over the last few seasons in Los Angeles (NHL) and most recently Calgary (AHL). No stranger to gold, he is the only WHL coach to win Coach of the Year with three different teams.

In addition, he also brings a wealth of playing experience, logging 874 professional games, 223 of them in the National Hockey League. While not a Stanley Cup champion, Nachbaur did capture a Calder Cup victory in 1988 with the Hershey Bears. Safe to say, the Don knows both sides of the game.

General Manager Bliss Littler on his new hire: "With Don, you get a head coach who understands that everything matters when you're a WHL head coach – that includes practice, to the strength coaching and off-ice workouts, to the education advisor making sure the players are working hard in the classroom, to working with the housing coordinator and billets to make sure the players are being looked after." 

Littler continued, "Don is a head coach who will hold the players and staff accountable to being the best version of themselves every day. Coach Nachbaur has played at and coached at the level that our players all strive to get to – just in the last five years, Don has coached in the NHL, AHL, and in Europe." Nachbaur was described as a tireless teacher, and a man who prides himself in making better people as well as hockey players. The Wild organization "could not be more excited to have him (Nachbaur) as our head coach."

Although the Wild did see a decline from the 2023 postseason to 2024, bringing in the third-winningest coach in WHL history and enjoying franchise record-setting attendance numbers last season certainly does not hurt their chances of getting back on track at an accelerated rate.

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