Meet the Staff: General Manager Nick Field

Next up in the “Meet the Staff” series is General Manager Nick Field.

A Jackson native, Field has been involved in hockey his entire life. After beginning his playing career at a young age, he eventually advanced to the junior level, where he played for the Cleveland Barons of the North American Hockey League and the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League.

Following his junior career, Field moved to the collegiate ranks and played four seasons at Ferris State University.

After earning his degree, Field began his professional hockey career, spending time with the Huntsville Havoc of the Southern Professional Hockey League and the Texas Wildcatters of the ECHL.

That experience became the foundation for his ability to manage a professional hockey franchise.

"I was fortunate enough to play at higher levels of hockey, which provided me the foundation to learn how high level organizations are run and operated," Field said. "Being around elite coaches, teammates, and support staff provided an opportunity to gain knowledge of what it takes to operate at a high level"

When his playing career came to an end, Field quickly transitioned into coaching. In 2010, he took over as head coach of Lake Orion’s hockey program.

Field held the position for eight seasons and guided the program to a regional championship in 2014. Following the 2018 season, he took the next step in his career by becoming the head coach of Oakland University’s ACHA program.

Running programs at both the high school and collegiate levels helped prepare him for the transition to professional hockey.

"At both the high school and ACHA division one level, being the head coach means you're in charge of the whole program," Field said. "Everything from coaching, recruiting, budgeting, travel itineraries, fundraising, and managing people comes with the job. Doing that for over a decade along with my playing experience set me up to make the jump into professional hockey."

That experience paid off when the Motor City Rockers were announced in 2022.

As the team’s inaugural general manager, Field quickly assembled a roster capable of competing with the top teams in the Federal Prospects Hockey League.

After reaching the playoffs in his first season, the Rockers advanced to the Empire Division Finals during the 2023-24 season. In two full seasons under Field, the team compiled a 55-37-10 record.

"Let me start by saying, it wasn't just me." Field explained. "Organizations and teams are built by everyone within the organization and the success that comes with it is organizational success. We are fortunate enough to be in a hockey hotbed for good hockey players, which was extremely helpful. We were supported by great ownership, and as a whole we were able to put strong teams on the ice. Ultimately, it's the players who buy in to what we are trying to accomplish, and they are the ones who drive the ship. I'm confident we will get great players and coaches to continue on with a winning organization."

Image courtesy of Lakewind Photography

With Motor City returning as an active franchise, Field is eager to bring championship-level hockey to the Yack.

"This is a great opportunity," Field said. "We are very excited to get rolling this October. I'm extremely confident we will have one of the best home ice crowd atmosphere's around, and we will compete night in and night out to provide a winning product. The Rockers are back, and for all the other teams out there, we're coming."

Fans can learn more about Nick Field and the Motor City Rockers during the organization’s introductory welcome event at 6 p.m. May 28 at Yack Arena.

For more information, follow the Rockers on Facebook, X and Instagram, or visit RockersHockey.com.