Brooks, Alberta, April 2, 2015 – The Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) are pleased to announce the commitment of 1996-born forward Austin Wright (Niagara Falls, ON) to their program for the 2015-16 AJHL season.
“Austin is a player we have watched dating back to the end of the 2013-14 season,” said Bandits head coach and general manager Ryan Papaioannou. “His game is filled with tenacity, speed, and an ability to contribute offensively.”
Wright comes to the Bandits after spending the last two seasons in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) with the Niagara Falls Canucks. This year Wright captained his hometown team while also becoming its scoring leader. He recorded 72 points (36 goals, 36 assists) in 49 regular season games, while adding 7 points (3 goals, 4 assists) in 4 playoff games.
The 5’10”, 185lb forward ranked 6th in the GOJHL’s regular season scoring race, while his 127 penalty minutes also ranked him 18th in the league. Always willing to do whatever it took to make the Canucks successful, Wright tallied a total of 305 penalty minutes in 105 career GOJHL games over two seasons in Niagara Falls.
“Adding leadership is always something positive,” Papaioannou continued, “and the fact that Austin has already captained a junior hockey team is a big plus.”
“We are looking forward to working with Austin and having him become a big part of our offensive attack.”
The commitment caps off a busy week for the 18-year old, who committed on Monday to attend and play for the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Tigers of the NCAA Division I Atlantic Hockey Conference beginning in 2016.
“I'm looking to take the next step in my hockey career and it's exciting to do so with such a solid organization as the Brooks Bandits,” said Wright. “I made the choice to play for Brooks based on their ability to prepare players for the next level. I had a chance to visit Brooks to watch a game in February and I can't wait to get back to start the new season.”
Wright is the second new commitment for the 2015-16 season that the Bandits have announced, joining 1996-born defenceman Ben Foley (Edina, MN) who committed to play for the team in mid-February.
The Bandits’ next home game is Game 6 of the AJHL South Division final on Sunday night, when Brooks hosts the Camrose Kodiaks at 7:00 PM at the Centennial Regional Arena. Tickets are available online at http://www.brooksbandits.ca.
Media contact:
Jaime Currie
Marketing/Community Relations
(403) 363-5859
jaime@brooksbandits.ca