BROOKS, AB (May 24, 2016) – The Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) are happy to announce that 1998-born defenceman Devon Daniels (Thunder Bay, ON) has committed to play for the team, beginning in the 2016-17 AJHL season.
Daniels, 18, has just completed his second year of competition at Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, Ohio, where he was the team’s captain as well as its second-highest scoring defenceman, registering 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists) in 18 games in the Midwest Prep Hockey League (MPHL).
The 6’2”, 180lb defenceman was named the team’s Best Defenceman and received MPHL All-League honours.
“Devon is a powerful skater with size and strength,” said Bandits head coach and general manager Ryan Papaioannou. “His game trends to the offensive side making him a good fit for our style of defenceman, and his maturity and leadership qualities are evident as he was the captain at Gilmour and is spoken of very highly by their staff.”
This past February, Daniels locked up his NCAA Division I future, committing to play for the Mercyhurst Lakers in Erie, PA.
“Devon had a great visit to Brooks during our playoffs and we were very impressed by his abilities on the ice,” Papaioannou added. “With his having already made his Division I commitment to Mercyhurst, our goal is to work with him on developing his all-around game prior to his arrival on campus.”
Last season, Daniels recorded 8 points (3 goals, 5 assists) in 18 MPHL games in his debut campaign with Gilmour, and prior to that registered 30 points (7 goals, 23 assists) in 61 games with the minor midget AAA Thunder Bay Kings.
“Brooks has such a positive and developmental atmosphere that I can’t wait to be a part of,” said Daniels. “I’m honoured to start off my junior career in an organization with such a great fanbase and team bond.
“I know Brooks will help shape my game into a strong offensive defenceman and I hope to make a positive impact to their winning culture and record.”
Daniels is the sixth player committed to the Bandits for 2016-17, joining 1997-born forward Nicholas Hamre (Cumberland, ON) of Kimball Union Academy, 1997-born forward Tyler Carangelo (Hamden, CT) of Avon Old Farms, 1998-born forward Arnaud Vachon (Ajax, ON) of The Hill Academy, 1997-born defenceman Josh Gagne (Caledon, ON) of The Gunnery, and 1997-born forward Oliver Chau (Oakville, ON) of Northfield Mount Hermon.