Veteran blueliner Adamu Tanaka commits to SFU from AJHL's Canucks

Simon Fraser University is pleased to announce a commitment for veteran defenceman Adamu Tanaka for the 2019/20 B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League seeason.

Tanaka played three seasons with the Alberta Junior Hockey League's Canmore Eagles before moving to the Calgary Canucks for his final season of Junior A hockey. A native of Canmore, Alberta, Tanaka stands a modest 5-foot-10 but plays a defensively sound style of hockey. He brings a strong junior resume as well as leadership qualities, having served as an alternate captain for Calgary in his final season.

Tanaka describes himself as a puck-moving defenseman who can generate offence on the breakout. His AJHL stats, which include 63 points in 181 games, back that up. After a solid junior career, he is looking forward to a new challenge.

"I've been playing hockey since I've been a little kid and throughout the years I've had many great moments but the highlight of my career is most definitely having the privilege to play junior hockey for the past four years in the Alberta Junior Hockey League," says Tanaka, who plans on entering the Beedie School of Business at SFU.

"Those four years will forever be in my books as one of the highlights of my life. Looking ahead I'd like to come in to SFU and find a role in which I can help the team succeed, but while also balancing the academic side of university,"

Tanaka is SFU's sixth recruit announced this offseason following forwards Ty Westgard (Coquitlam, BCHL) and Justin Lee (North Van, PJHL) and defencemen Jordan Dawson (Nanaimo, BCHL), Matt Krawiec (Red Lake, SIJHL) and Jake Keremidschieff (Richmond, PJHL).

SFU takes on TWU and UBC for the 2019 Captain's Cup in September prior to kicking off the 2019/20 BCIHL season in October. Additional announcements are expected in the coming weeks.