Hockey Operations

Hayden Hulton enters his second season of professional hockey coaching during the 2025-26 campaign after a strong playing career.

Hulton, from Kingston, Ontario, played four seasons in the SPHL and logged eight games as a Marksmen during the 2023-24 season. However, Hulton is best known for his 145 games played as an Evansville Thunderbolts standout. He captained Evansville in the 2022-23 season after having served as an alternate captain the year prior with the Thunderbolts.

The 31-year-old for five years played 112 games for Carleton University and captained 2018-19 appearing in two national tournaments during his collegiate career in Canada’s USports league. Prior to his collegiate career, he skated with the CCHL’s Brockville Braves in juniors and captained the Braves in 2013-14.

The first hockey operations staff hire under Kyle Sharkey, Hulton fills an assistant coaching role that has produced current head coach Kyle Sharkey, ECHL assistant coach Cory Melkert (Fort Wayne Koments), and ECHL head coach Jason Binkley (Reading Royals).

The 2025-26 season is Kyle Sherrill’s eighth with the Marksmen as the Head Athletic Trainer. He has been involved in minor league hockey in Fayetteville since 2007.

A native of Red Springs, N.C., Kyle earned his B.S. in athletic training from Methodist University . He also minored in physical education as well as strength and conditioning. He has been a BOC certified athletic trainer since 2008.

He was a member of the medical staff for the Fayetteville FireAntz, SPHL championship season (2006-07), and the FireAntz Regular Season Championship (2012). He was also a member of medical staff for the Fayetteville Guard, NIFL Championship season (2007) and the Cape Fear Heroes AIF Championship Season (2012), SIF Championship Season (2017).

Along with his passion of working with professional athletes, Kyle also enjoys providing athletic training services youth athletes in the Cape Fear region. Kyle has been a member of the NATA since 2005 and enjoys using his knowledge to educate the community in sports medicine.

The 2025-26 season is Damon Wheeler’s first as Head Equipment Manager for the Fayetteville Marksmen.

The Colorado native is no stranger to hockey and has had stints with the University of Alabama in Huntsville Men’s Ice Hockey team (2014-2021) and the Sioux City Musketeers (2021-2025), all in the same capacity.

Away from the rink, you can find him enjoying the outdoors, mostly, or working on his craft as an equipment manager.