The Thompson Rivers University WolfPack has secured its second recruit for the upcoming B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League season. General Manager Chris Hans and head coach Don Schulz are pleased to announce that forward Brennan Wright of Thunder Bay, Ontario has agreed to join the club in September 2012.
Wright spent season in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League with the LaRonge Ice Wolves. Previously, he played in the Ontario Hockey League with both the Sarnia Sting and the Owen Sound Attack.
"I'm am extremely excited to be going to Kamloops to continue my schooling and my hockey," says the 6'4" 202 pound Wright. "I feel like there are a lot of similarities between TRU and Kamloops and my hometown university (Lakehead University) and Thunder Bay. Great people and great communities that gets behind their teams."
Wright will be enrolled in the general arts program at TRU. He says his future plans include becoming a lawyer so the Law program at TRU helped influence his decision to head west.
"Early on, I was interested in attending Lakehead or Nipissing University both in Ontario and then Selkirk College and TRU. TRU seems to be the best fit for school and hockey opportunities and I like the size of the community."
Wright is described as a versatile hockey player. He gets high praise from his coach and general manager of the Ice Wolves, Bob Beatty, who finished his 8th year at the helm in LaRonge after coaching for over seven years in Humboldt.
"Brennan is a momentum type player that skates well and finishes checks with authority. He can chip in offensively and is defensively responsible. He is a big body forward, very coachable, an excellent team player with a good work ethic."
Wright played mostly in a checking/momentum type role. Added Beatty: "He did get some timely goals for us down the stretch and in playoffs."
He was injured shortly before he joined LaRonge and got into only 19 games with them, scoring three times and adding two assists with 22 minutes in penalty time.
WolfPack General Manager Chris Hans is extremely pleased to add him to the fold: "Brennan brings a nice combination of size, skill and grit to our line-up. He has played at the highest levels of junior hockey and I expect him to make a significant contribution to the WolfPack hockey program for years to come."
Wright says he learned about the WolfPack program almost by accident.
"This opportunity was a lucky break for me as I had a teammate in La Ronge, Ben Bula who asked if I had anywhere to play this coming year after we got knocked out of playoffs. At the time I had not committed to any school, so he put the word out for me back in Kamloops. Within fifteen minutes I was talking to Mr. Hans about the opportunity in Kamloops with TRU."
He is hoping Bula too commits to the TRU program.
Wright has played both forward and defence in his last five years of junior hockey. Saying he has heard the competition in the BCIHL continues to improve, he is also impressed with what he has heard about TRU Hockey.
"TRU's ability to provide consistently a competitive team proves to me that the organization is professional and committed to winning. Also, the staff and older players sound very experienced in the student/athlete life and I'm looking forward to learning from them. The fan base in Kamloops sound like it's one of the best in the league and I can't wait for the first game against our rivals."
Head coach Don Schulz says Wright’s attitude and talent level fills a great void on the team’s roster: "I'm most excited to have someone with Brennan's playing experience joining our program. He's a big bodied guy who's going to add size, speed and physicality to our forward group. It's something that Chris and I wanted to address and felt was lacking last season. I'm expecting to have Brennan provide significant contributions on and off the ice. Brennan is a great fit for our needs and is a welcome addition to the WolfPack."
LaRonge GM and Coach Beatty is confident that Wright will bring immediate dividends to the TRU lineup. "Brennan will have a good collegiate career and become a dependable two way player in your conference."
Adds the newest WolfPack player: "Again I am extremely excited to be joining the TRU WolfPack and I am already thinking about the upcoming season. I also just wanted to personally thank the Icewolves, the WolfPack,TRU, my coaches and teammates for their support. Lastly, I wanted to thank my family as I couldn't do this without their support and encouragement. We will see you in September!"
Wright joins Anthony Delong (Castlegar Rebels, KIJHL) as the two committed players to the TRU program for 2012-13. More signings are expected in the coming weeks.
SIMON FRASER
OKANAGAN
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VICTORIA
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