The Canisius College hockey team rounded out its recruiting class with the addition of six players. Forwards Felix Chamberland (Quebec City, Quebec), Dylan McLaughlin (Lancaster, N.Y.) and Josh Supryka (Belleville, Ontario), defenders Ian Edmondson (Toronto, Ontario) and Alex Jaeckle (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) and goaltender Alex Savard (Brossard, Quebec) join the five incoming signees from November for an 11-member freshman class in 2015-16.
“We are very excited to complete the class with these six players,” said assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Trevor Large. “With such a large class, the opportunity will be there for them to compete for important playing time right from the start. These freshmen have big shoes to fill left by our great senior class from last season, but they are the right group to build on what it means to be a student-athlete with the Golden Griffin hockey program. Our staff cannot wait to see them in the Blue and Gold.”
The leading scorer in the CCHL during the 2014-15 campaign with the Pembroke Lumber Kings, Chamberland was named the league’s Three Star Player of the Year as well as collecting first-team CCHL All-Star honors. He led all players in the league with 99 points and 48 goals – 17 points and 11 goals more than the second-highest player. In his two seasons overall at Pembroke, Chamberland totaled 164 points, 75 goals and 89 assists in 109 games.
McLaughlin spent the last three seasons with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL. The Lancaster, N.Y. native, who broke into the country’s top junior league at the age of 16 with Sioux Falls, totaled 88 points, 24 goals and 64 assists in his three years at Cedar Rapids. McLaughlin finished his junior career with a personal-best 39 points last season on eight goals and 31 assists and was just one helper shy of the team lead.
Supryka appeared in 54 games during the 2014-15 season with the Wellington Dukes of the OJHL. The 18-year old totaled 31 points on 14 goals and 17 assists in his second season with the Dukes and posted 45 points on 21 goals and 24 assists overall in his two years in the league.
A two-time participant in the Central Canada Cup All-Star Challenge, Edmondson captained the St. Michael’s Buzzers of the OJHL this past season. He led all defenders on the team with 32 points, netting 11 goals to go along with 21 assists. Overall, Edmondson totaled 70 points, 20 goals and 50 assists in four seasons with the Buzzers, helping lead the team to the 2013 OJHL Championship and Buckland Cup.
A defender with the Johnstown Tomahawks of the NAHL the last two seasons, Jaeckle recorded 14 points on six goals and eight assists during the 2014-15 campaign, including a team-leading five power-play tallies. Overall, Jaeckle totaled 21 points, eight goals and 13 assists from the blue line in his two years with the Tomahawks.
Selected a CCHL Second-Team All-Star, Savard spent the last three seasons with the Ottawa Jr. Senators. In 124 regular-season games, Savard posted a 78-28-4 record with a 2.48 goals against average and .907 save percentage. A two-time selection to the Central Canada Cup All-Star Challenge and the 2014-15 Team MVP, Savard was at his best in the postseason at Ottawa, winning 13 career playoff games with a 1.95 goals against average and .927 save percentage.
The six players are set to join early signees in forwards Joshua Gabriel, Daniel LaFontaine and Matt McLeod and defenders Cameron Heath and Jimmy Mazza to form an 11-member freshman class next season.
Canisius ended the 2014-15 season with an 18-12-7 record and matched the program’s best Atlantic Hockey finish with a two seed for the conference tournament. The Griffs then advanced to the conference final four for the third-consecutive year – a first in the program’s history.
