Hockey Operations & Staff

Ken King
President, Chief Executive Officer, Governor

Ken King was named President and Chief Executive Officer of the Calgary Flames on August 15, 2001. He also serves as the President, Chief Executive Officer and Governor of the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League.

Like you, King has an overwhelming fondness for the sport.  His aspiration every season is to raise the bar another notch to reward devoted fans with the best possible entertainment package in the league.

King is a strong believer in contributing to the community and he knows incredible achievements can be accomplished when aspiration and determination mix with a visionary approach, meaningful intentions, responsible actions and, above all, consideration for others. His current community involvement spans numerous organizations, including chairman, TELUS Community Board, past co-chair of REACH (a $300 million medical fundraising initiative), the Calgary Committee to End Homelessness, the Calgary Sport Tourism Authority, the Calgary Exhibition & Stampede, Borden Ladner Gervais CIAU Athlete of the Year Awards Committee and the Rotary Club of Calgary. Previous support and commitment involved the Calgary Prostate Cancer Centre, Calgary Philharmonic Society, No Ka Oi Ranch Foundation and past-chairman of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

In 2005, King received an Alberta Centennial Medal for outstanding contributions to the province of Alberta. Other awards include the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for community service and the commemorative medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada. In 1991, he was honoured as B’Nai Brith Man of the Year.

Born and raised in Hanley, Saskatchewan, King launched a 30-year career in the newspaper business that included senior executive positions in Canada’s leading newspapers including President and Publisher of the Calgary Sun and Calgary Herald. During his newspaper career in Calgary, King was acknowledged for his innovative marketing, establishment of healthy corporate relationships, spirited community leadership and appreciable growth for the newspapers.

King is an avid, but mediocre golfer, and like many other Albertans, shares a passion for horses. He and his wife, Marilyn, have two daughters and they are proud grandparents to Amanda's twin boys and Jocelin's baby boy.

Kelly Kisio
General Manager, Executive VP, Alternate Governor

Kelly Kisio is in his 15th season with the Calgary Hitmen. The Hitmen have posted 582 regular season victories, an average of 42 per season, under his 14 seasons of leadership. Kelly has also been at the helm of both of the club’s Western Hockey League Championships when the Hitmen captured the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 1999 and 2010. He has also twice won the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy for the WHL's Top Executive, claiming the award in 2003-04 and 2008-09. In addition to his General Manger duties, Kelly also spent four seasons in the dual role of general manager and head coach from 2004-05 to 2007-08, guiding the Hitmen to 167 wins.  During Kelly's 15-year tenure, the Hitmen have advanced to the playoffs 14 times.

A native of Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Kelly starred in the Alberta Junior League with the Red Deer Rustlers prior to joining the Western Hockey League with the Calgary Wranglers. He spent two seasons in the WHL posting back to back 60-goal campaigns in 1978-79 and 1979-80. He was named WHL Rookie of the Year in 1978-79.

Kelly enjoyed 13 years in the National Hockey League with four different teams (Detroit, New York Rangers, San Jose and Calgary). He served as captain of the Rangers for three and a half seasons plus one season with the Sharks. He was named a Campbell Conference All-Star in 1993. In 761 career NHL games, he posted 658 points (229 goals and 429 assists).

In 1993, Kelly signed with the Calgary Flames playing two seasons before retiring from the NHL in 1995. He stayed with the Flames as an amateur scout before accepting the general manager position with the Calgary Hitmen prior to the 1998-99 season.

Kelly and his wife Linda have three children: Brent, Kurtis, and Kristina.

Mike Moore
Director of Business Operations and Assistant General Manager

Mike Moore is in his 16th season in the Western Hockey League and fifth season with the Calgary Hitmen. Prior to joining the Hitmen, Moore was the director of athletics at Edge School in Calgary. He has also served as a general manager with both the Kamloops Blazers and Medicine Hat Tigers, and was the Hitmen assistant general manger in 1997-98. 

Moore has a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Calgary.  He received the WHL Marketing/Public Relations Award in 2010-11 for his outstanding fundraising efforts and fan initiatives.  Last season, the Calgary Hitmen Hockey Club raised over $135,000 in cash and donations to support the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) Prairies/NWT Region, Calgary Food Bank, CBE Fuel for School program, Prostate Cancer Canada and many more local charitable chapters through in-game activities, jersey auctions, ticketing initiatives and 50/50 contributions.  In addition, the Hitmen also set a new Canadian Hockey League single game attendance record when 20,888 fans attended the WHL outdoor game at McMahon Stadium on February 21, 2011.

Mike Williamson
Head Coach

Mike Williamson, in his fourth season with the Calgary Hitmen, is the seventh head coach in franchise history.  His first was a major success leading the franchise to its second Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL Champions in 2010.

Williamson joined the Hitmen in the summer of 2009 after spending 15 years with the Portland Winterhawks as a player and coach.  He played for Portland from 1991-94 and was named captain for the 1993-94 season.  He then spent over five seasons as an assistant coach, helping lead the Winterhawks to a Memorial Cup win in 1998.  Williamson assumed the head coaching duties partway through the 1999-00 season and under his guidance, Portland went to the 2001 WHL Western Conference Final.  He was named the WHL Western Conference Coach of the Year in 2000-01. 

 Williamson and his wife, Michelle, have two children, Leeah and Nicholas.

Brent Kisio
Associate Coach

Brent Kisio is in his sixth season with the Calgary Hitmen. Brent joined the team in the 2007-08 as video coach/assistant coach after four successful years as a student athlete at the University of Nebraska in Omaha where he played hockey for the Mavericks and graduated with a degree in Criminology. Following his inaugural season, Brent moved exclusively into the role of assistant coach, before being promoted to associate coach in October 2012.

Kisio and his wife, Abby, have two children, Summer and Owen.

Joel Otto
Assistant Coach

Joel Otto is in his sixth season as an assistant coach of the Calgary Hitmen. Otto played 14 seasons in the NHL, 11 with the Calgary Flames and three with the Philadelphia Flyers. During that time he collected 508 points (195 goals, 313 assists) in 943 games. He was one of the NHL's best two-way centres and won a Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989, scoring the series-clinching goal against Vancouver.  The Elk River, Minnesota, native also won the World Cup with Team USA in 1999 and took part in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Darcy Wakaluk
Goaltending Coach

Darcy Wakaluk is in his ninth season as goaltending coach of the Calgary Hitmen. A native of Pincher Creek, Alberta, he was drafted 144th overall by the Buffalo Sabres. After playing the better part of five seasons in the Buffalo system with the Rochester Americans, Darcy spent seven seasons in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota/Dallas Stars and Phoenix Coyotes. Following his retirement in 1999, Wakaluk was a goaltending coach with the Kamloops Blazers for three seasons, before joining the Vancouver Giants organization for two campaigns.

Wakaluk resides in Crowsnest Pass with his wife, Dawn, and their four kids, Alexander, Logan, Brock and Tori.

Kelly Chesla
Video Coach

Kelly Chesla is in his sixth season as video coach of the Calgary Hitmen.  Prior to joining the Hitmen, the Stettler, Alberta, native spent six seasons within the National Hockey League as a manager of team services and video coordinator for the Calgary Flames (2001-06) and amateur scout for the New York Islanders (2006-07).  In 2000-01, Chelsa was an assistant coach with the AMHL’s Calgary Royals and helped led the midget AAA club to the Air Canada Cup Championship in Prince George, B.C.

Chesla and his wife, Kasey, have two children, Nolan and Lauren.

Troy Norcross
Video Coach

Troy Norcross joined the Calgary Hitmen as video coach in 2008.  The Calgary, Alberta, native has over 20 years of hockey experience as both a player and coach.  Norcross, who attended the University of Alaska Ancourage on Division 1 scholarship in 1991-95, played with the ECHL’s Alaska Aces in 1995-96, formerly known as the Anchorage Aces.  During his Alberta Junior Hockey League career, Norcross played three seasons with the Calgary Canucks, capturing one championship title with the junior A club as well as spent two years behind the bench as assistant coach of the Calgary Royals, presently known as the Calgary Mustangs.

Norcross and his girlfriend, Sylvia, reside in Calgary.

Will McMillan
Athletic Therapist

The 2012-13 season is Will McMillian’s seventh season with the Calgary Hitmen. McMillian is a Certified Athletic Therapist with a degree in Physical Education from the University of Calgary. Prior to joining the Hitmen, he spent two years working with the Moose Jaw Warriors, one season with the Calgary Junior A Royals and nine years as the head athletic therapist at S.A.I.T.

McMillian and his wife, Loreen, have a son named Sean.

Jason Monnery
Assistant Trainer

Jason Monnery is in his third season as an assistant trainer with the Calgary Hitmen.  Monnery was born and raised in Calgary, and has an Athletic Injury Management Certificate from the Sports Medicine Council of Alberta.  He is looking to pursue a career in Sports Management.

Bernie Bajnok
Education Advisor, Billet Coordinator

The 2011/12 season is Bernie's tenth season as the team's education advisor. He holds a wealth of leadership experience having served as a high school principal for 17 years before retiring in 2003.

Bajnok also has a Masters Degree in Educational Administration and a Physical Education Degree.

Brad Curle
Broadcast Coordinator

2012/13 is Brad's eigth season with the Hitmen and 16th calling play-by-play in the Western Hockey League.  The product of Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan spent eight seasons as the radio voice of the Lethbridge Hurricanes before joining the Hitmen prior to the 2005-06 season. 

Curle got his play by play start in 1993 calling Senior Hockey in Southeast Saskatchewan. The following year he was promoted to Tier 2 where he spent two seasons as the voice of the SJHL's Estevan Bruins. Curle is a graduate of Western Academy Broadcasting College in Saskatoon.