July 9, 2011 /
By John B. Spigott /
Since the close of the 2010 RBC Cup in Camrose, 27 AJHL players have committed to various colleges and universities throughout Canada and the United States, and several players are off to high-profile U.S. universities.
St. Albert sniper Reed Linaker will be part of the return of NCAA Division I ice hockey to Penn State, as the Edmonton-native will debut for the Nittany Lions for the 2012 season after completing this coming year with the Steel. In 141 career games with St. Albert, Linaker has amassed 173 points to go with 336 penalty minutes.
Meanwhile, Spruce Grove goaltender Vincenzo Marozzi – who has backstopped the Saints to the past two Enerflex Cup championships – will head to Cornell.
In 133 career AJHL games, Marozzi put up 95 wins, and shouldn’t have to look far for inspiration with the Big Red, as former AJHL goaltender Ben Scrivens wrapped up a stellar career at Cornell in 2010 by signing a deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Oil Barons to get an early jump on 2011/12 season
There isn’t a whole lot of time remaining for Fort McMurray head coach and general manager Gord Thibodeau and the rest of the Oil Barons organization to brush up on their Russian.
The Oil Barons will be representing Canada at the inaugural World Junior Club Cup, slated for Aug. 30 to Sept. 4 in Omsk, Russia.
“It’s going to be a once in a lifetime experience for the players on and off the ice,” said Thibodeau. “Not only will they play against teams that play different styles, but learn a new culture as well.”
Eight clubs representing Canada, the United States, Russia, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic will take part in the event.
Steel add to coaching staff, roster
St. Albert head coach and general manager Greg Parks will have some new faces behind his bench, this coming season.
Former AJHL players Wes Werhun – a member of the St. Albert Saints in the early 1980s – and Donovan Sugiyama – who spent time with the Sherwood Park Crusaders – have been hired as assistant coaches for the 2011/12 season.
In other news in St. Albert, Parks has wasted little time in making changes to his club for the upcoming season. On June 1, Parks acquired Jon Baird from the Calgary Canucks for Derek Bacon before dealing Tanner Labbe to Camrose in exchange for Mackenzie Royer.
Last season, Bacon had 63 points in 60 games while Labbe put up 20 points in 32 games. What Parks receives is a player with Western Hockey League experience in Royer, and a speedy forward in Baird, who had 24 points in 30 games last year in an injury-plagued season for the Canucks. |
AJHL Off-Season: League Celebrates Post-Secondary Commitments
