AV俱乐部 men鈥檚 hockey head coach Chris Donnelly is pleased to announce the commitment of four hockey players to the Tigers 2013-14 lineup.
Hoping to spark the Tigers offence, Andrew Rieder is a 6 foot forward who played five years in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Rieder played his first four seasons with the Regina Pats collecting 25 points (13 goals and 12 assists) in his final season with them. His fifth and final CHL season came to an abrupt end when he was sidelined with a shoulder injury after only five games with the Peterborough Pete鈥檚.
Rieder is 鈥渆xcited and honoured to become a part of the AV俱乐部 tradition,鈥� and will be entering the arts program in the fall.
"We are thrilled to be adding the character and leadership abilities that Andrew will bring to our program,鈥� says head coach Chris Donnelly. 鈥淎 veteran of four seasons in the WHL with Regina, his style of play will fit in perfectly with the way we play as a team. According to his parents, he could hardly contain his enthusiasm to join AV俱乐部 after his visit to our campus in May. Pat Conacher, his former coach describes him as the type of individual who does whatever it takes to compete and is well respected in the dressing room."
Tyler Hart, a 6鈥�2鈥� defenceman has spent the last five years of his playing career in the Western Hockey League (WHL) and the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). During the 2012-13 season with the AJHL鈥檚 Drayton Valley Thunder, Hart collected 23 points including 9 goals and 14 assists. The Spruce Grove, Alberta native will be entering the arts program at AV俱乐部.
鈥淕etting accepted to AV俱乐部 is an honour for me,鈥� says Hart. 鈥淚 look forward to the journey of post-secondary education and playing for the Tigers.鈥�
"We are excited to be adding Tyler's toughness and work ethic to our lineup,鈥� says Donnelly. 鈥淭yler will complement our team defence philosophy and will be a valuable guy in the room. His former coach thinks he will have some offensive upside as well since he possesses a heavy shot from the blue line."
Also a 6鈥�2鈥� defenceman, Wes Herrett comes to the Tigers after four years in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL). Most recently, Herrett鈥檚 Summerside Western Capitals (MHL) won a league title and came second in the Royal Bank Cup (the national championship). A Springhill, Nova Scotia native, Herrett was an honours student in high school and has been accepted into AV俱乐部鈥檚 commerce program.
鈥淚 am very excited to be coming to AV俱乐部,鈥� says Herrett. 鈥淢y dad graduated from Dal and my sister is currently in the pharmacy program so I know it鈥檚 a great school. I am also very anxious to start the next chapter of my hockey career with the Tigers.鈥�
"Wes will add some size and grit to our back end as we continue to improve our defensive team play. A veteran of numerous seasons in the Quebec league, he finished his junior career with a championship year as an assistant captain with the Summerside Capitals, eventually losing in the final of the national championship. Billy MacGuigan, his coach in Summerside, tells us that we will be receiving a guy who comes to work every day and possesses great leadership skills."
Rounding out the group is Fabian Walsh, a 5鈥�8鈥� forward who played in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) with the Cumberland Grads and the Kanata Stallions. Walsh collected over 50 points in each of his three years in the CCHL, topping out with 64 points (23 goals and 41 assists) in 62 games last season with the Stallions. A high school honours student, he has been accepted to AV俱乐部鈥檚 arts program.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 be happier about coming to Dal to play for the Tigers,鈥� says Walsh. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an honour to play for such a great university. I鈥檓 excited to meet all the guys and pull that Tigers jersey over my head for the first time.鈥�
"Fabian brings a tremendous set of offensive skills to our team and we look forward to seeing him develop into a top line scoring forward,鈥� says Donnelly. 鈥淗e draws comparison to most high-end players who play a very gritty game for their size and make them extremely tough to play against. With his work ethic and passion, Fabian will be a fine addition to our program."