Two of the top scorers in the British Columbia Hockey League have signed a National Letter of Intent during the early signing period to join the Canisius College hockey program, announced by head coach Dave Smith.
Forwards Matt Hoover (Brantford, Ontario) and Nick Hutchison (Hicksville, N.Y.) are both set to join the Golden Griffin program, beginning with the 2016-17 season.
“With a small recruiting class, we added two specific and unique pieces to our roster,” Smith said. “Matt is a tenacious, hard-to-play against on the puck player with excellent skill and hockey IQ. Nick brings tremendous size and is a skilled forward who excels when he has the puck. Together, these recruits add elements to our team that will help us immediately and throughout their careers. Both are high-character and high-compete people who fit our model of excellence.
The fifth-leading scorer in the BCHL this season, Hoover has accumulated 31 points in 24 games with the Nanaimo Clippers, ranking third in the league with 18 goals to go along with 13 assists. Prior to his time with the Clippers, the Brantford, Ontario native totaled 24 points, 10 goals and 14 assists in one season with the Kingston Voyageurs, helping the team to the OJHL Championship Series. He also played two years of prep hockey at Cushing Academy, recording 65 points, 27 goals and 38 assists.
Hutchison leads the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in scoring through 23 games, ranking 10th overall in the BCHL with 29 points on 11 goals and 18 assists. The Hicksville, New York native totaled 18 points with seven goals and 11 assists in his first season with the Silverbacks last year and also played one season with Tri-City Storm of the USHL during the 2013-14 campaign, recording four points.
The Griffs currently own a 2-7-0 record during the 2015-16 campaign with a 2-2-0 mark in Atlantic Hockey play. Canisius is back in action this weekend with a pair of home games against Mercyhurst, opening the series at HARBORCENTER on Friday at 7:35 p.m.
