BROOKS, AB (August 30, 2019) ? The Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) are happy to announce that 1999-born forward Jakob Lee (Owen Sound, ON) will serve as the team?s captain in the 2019-20 season, succeeding graduating forward Nathan Plessis (Salmon Arm, B.C.).
Lee, 20, enters his second season with the team after capturing a National Junior A Championship last year as a rookie, and scoring 46 points (15 goals, 31 assists) in 51 games, to rank ninth on the team, and highest among returning players this year.
?Jake is a vocal leader, and will be the voice of our team through our ups and downs,? said Bandit head coach and general manager Ryan Papaioannou. ?He’s extremely competitive on the ice and will lead through his work ethic.?
The 6?0?, 181lb forward added 15 points (8 goals, 7 assists), in 15 playoff games last year, leading the 2019 Doyle Cup series in goal scoring with four, before scoring another 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) in 6 games at the NJAC tournament.
?Jake has tremendous experience in big games and understands what’s involved in taking a team from August to May,? Papaioannou added. ?We are proud of his improvements on and off the ice over the past season and he is a very deserving captain.?
Lee is committed to NCAA Division I Canisius College for the 2020-21 campaign, to whom he committed while playing for the Listowel Cyclones of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL), with whom he won a league championship in his third and final year, and was a league second team all-star with 64 points (28 goals, 36 assists) in 46 games.
The Bandits will continue their 2019 preseason schedule tonight with a 7 PM Pacific/8 PM Mountain matchup in Penticton with the BCHL?s Vees. The game can be heard on RealCountryBrooks.ca starting five minutes before game time.
(Photos: Matthew Murnaghan/Hockey Canada Images & RyKie Images & Events)