Eastern Washington University is pleased to announce a playing commitment from defenseman Cody Breitenstein (Hawthorne, CA) to join the Eagles for the 2014/15 B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League season.
Breitenstein stands 6-foot-2, 180 pounds and currently plays for the Peninsula Panthers of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League. He has spent a majority of the last two seasons with Peninsula while also spending some time in the BCHL's Powell River Kings.
Breitenstein has appeared in 88 VIJHL games over the last two seasons, posting 11 goals and 42 assists to go along with 121 penalty minutes.
The signing of the right-shot defenseman gives EWU a total of eight defenseman next season that are all capable of playing in various roles. Breitenstein will bring size to the blue line that lost a lot of size with the graduation of Kjell Sherman and JR Strait.
The Eagles feel that their roster in rounding out nicely, but they are still working to add a few top end forwards.
"We have a few offers out to forwards that are still in playoff series and we are letting those series run their course before we finalize agreements," says Eagles assistant coach Pat Hanlon.
Breitenstein is EWU's seventh commitment for the 2014/15 season, joing fellow blueliners Tanner Grey (Kimberley Dynamiters, KIJHL), Chris Watkins (Dakota College, NCJAA) and Brandon Wilbert (Finlandia University, NCAA DIII), as well as forward Rudy Sulmonte (Corpus Christi IceRays, NAHL) and goaltenders Austin Brihn (Helena Bighorns, AWHL) and Corey Grummick (Rochester Ice Hawks, MNJHL).