(Amherst, NY) – The Buffalo Jr. Sabres are pleased to announce that forward Tyler Gjurich, who earlier this week became only the second player in franchise history to score 50 goals, has committed to the University of Maine and will join the NCAA Division I program beginning next academic year.
“They’ve been interested for a pretty long time,” said Gjurich. “Once they came and offered me to go, you can’t really turn down going to Maine! I was really excited.”
“Tyler has earned this wonderful opportunity,” added Jr. Sabres head coach and general manager Michael Peca. “He has committed himself this season to round out his game and compliment his incredible offensive instincts. In all my years of hockey I haven’t seen many players that shoot the puck as well as he does. Maine is getting one heck of a player.”
Gjurich, who resides in Hatfield, Pennsylvania but previously played midget level hockey for the Buffalo Regals organization, is the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s leading goal scorer. Gjurich has scored 52 goals so far this regular season with one game left to play. On February 17 he netted his 50th and 51st goals and became only the second player in the history of the junior franchise to clear the 50-goal mark. The only other person to do it was Brian Gionta, now captain of the Montreal Canadiens, who scored 57 times for what was then known as the Niagara Scenics in the 1996-97 season.
Gjurich becomes the seventh player on the current roster to commit to an NCAA hockey program. He has not yet decided on an academic major.
