Netflix names its hockey drama 'The Sticks' and fills out the cast with Scott Bakula, Logan Marshall-Green
Netflix has confirmed the title The Sticks for its high-school hockey drama headlined by Michelle Monaghan, a couple of months after production wrapped. Along with the name, the streamer released behind-the-scenes first-look images from the set and unveiled a wave of new cast members — including Scott Bakula as a series regular (Deadline, 10 August 2026).
Bakula, best known for NCIS: New Orleans and Quantum Leap, plays Coach Brody in his return to television. Logan Marshall-Green joins him as Coach Sully, another series-regular role — taken on while Marshall-Green was still filming Season 2 of his CBS series Marshalls. Young actress Alex MacIsaac rounds out the newly confirmed series-regular cast as Emma Boone.
Seven recurring cast members were also officially announced. Bryan Greenberg plays Cliff Barnes, Chelsea Field is Alice Hansen, Patrick Gallagher is Principal Montgomery, Alison Araya is Joan Garcia, Aman Smardon is Kai Becker, Krista Bridges is Frankie Ryder, and Ben Cotton plays Mr. Marchbanks (Deadline, 10 August 2026).
The previously unveiled cast already ran deep. Michelle Monaghan leads as Harper Sullivan, with Emilie Bierre as Riley Sullivan, Shai Chase as Henry Sullivan, Josh Macqueen as Rhett Nelson, Costa D'Angelo as Owen Boone, Carter Shimp as Austin Ryder, Ethan Holder as Cooper Cunningham, Isaac Arellanes as Manny Rodriguez, Chloe Avakian as Izzy Miller, Caleb Baumann as Elu, River Codack as Tyler Walker, Angus Albinati as Jack McGrath, and Callum Orchison as Derek Marchbanks.
The story sits at the intersection of sport, grief, and small-town life. After tragedy shatters a Minnesota hockey town, Monaghan's character — a grieving wife — steps behind the bench of the team her husband built, guiding a found family of wounded young athletes through a season of loss, love, and rivalry.
Behind the camera, the series carries serious pedigree. Creator Nick Naveda and showrunner Bridget Bedard executive produce alongside Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, and Robert Atwood for 21 Laps — the production company behind Stranger Things and Shadow and Bone. Trey Edward Shults, whose film It Comes at Night earned critical attention, directs. The season runs eight episodes.
Netflix is not alone in betting on hockey drama. The Sticks arrives as part of a wider wave of rink-themed series, joining Crave/HBO Max's Heated Rivalry and Prime Video's Off Campus — a sign that multiple streaming platforms see enough audience appetite in the sport to commission scripted originals around it.
For fans, the first-look images and the full cast list offer the first real glimpse of a series that has been filming under its working title and is now, with a name and faces attached, beginning to take shape.
