ANTIGONISH, NS – StFX men’s hockey head coach Brad Peddle is pleased to announce and welcome six new student-athletes to the X-Men hockey program for the 2012-13 season. Goaltender Drew Owsley, defenseman Bronson Maschmeyer and forwards Chase Schaber, Steven Kuhn, Cole Grbavac and Zack MacQueen will all be donning the blue and white this fall.
Five are products of the Western Hockey League (WHL), while MacQueen played in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) last year. Aside from the netminder Owsley, the remaining five position players consist of two captains and three assistant captains for their respective major junior squads.
“We are very pleased with our 2012 recruiting class to date,” comments X-Men head coach Brad Peddle. “It is a very high character group with great experience and leadership skills that individually will make an impact to our team in different ways. We needed to address certain needs in the off-season to prepare for a very tough and competitive AUS season and I feel that these individuals are great fits for our program. We look forward to seeing all of them in X-Men hockey jerseys.”
Goaltender Drew Owsley, a native of Lethbridge, Alta., played with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars. “Drew is an outstanding addition to the X-Men hockey program,” comments Peddle. “He is very highly regarded in the WHL, having played some great years in Tri-City and most recently being the MVP this past season in Prince George. He is a very strong goaltender that possesses a tremendous work ethic and competitiveness in his game that we are excited about seeing in the blue and white for the next four years.”
Bronson Maschmeyer is a defenseman from Brudderheim, Alta. who played with the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL. “Bronson is a high character assistant captain of a very good Kamloops team,” says Peddle. “He is a very smart defenseman who is not only reliable defensively, but also has great mobility to jump into the rush and create offense from the back end. He has great leadership skills and has proven to be a very durable player who has not missed a game, playing three consecutive 72-game seasons. Bronson comes highly regarded and we are very excited to have him join our X-Men program.”
Forward Chase Schaber from Red Deer, Alta. also hails from the Kamloops Blazers and coach Peddle comments, “We are very excited to have another Kamloops Blazer in Chase join our program. He was their captain, a leader with tremendous work ethic who plays with an edge in a very physical power forward game. He has a strong professional upside with significant elite hockey experience, having attended an NHL Edmonton Oilers camp and playing with Team WHL in the 2010 Canadian Hockey League Russian super-series. Chase is coming back from a well-publicized playoff injury, but upon his return to play this year he will make an immediate impact and significantly contribute to our offense.”
Forward and Oyen, Alta. native Steven Kuhn played with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs. “Steven was an assistant captain in Spokane and is a great addition,” says Peddle. “He is very strong two-way forward who is usually matched up against the opposing teams’ top lines. He is a smart player, very strong on the penalty kill but also has the proven ability to contribute offensively. He is a very strong competitor with good leadership qualities, and his ability to play through anything is well proven with his current WHL iron-man streak playing four consecutive seasons of 72 games,” rounds up X-Men head coach Brad Peddle, who is currently heading into his eighth season.
Medicine Hat Tigers product Cole Grbavac from Calgary is another forward who committed to the X-Men for the upcoming season. “Cole was the captain in Medicine Hat,” relays Peddle. “He is a tremendous leader, a team player who leaves it out there each shift; he was very popular amongst his teammates and in the community. Cole is a very tough, physical forward who is strong on pucks down low, he can contribute offensively and he finishes hits consistently. He is a big body that will add more size, grit and scoring to our lineup. He does still have some professional options he is pursuing over the summer, but should that not work out he will be a great addition to X-Men hockey in the fall.”
Finally, forward Zack MacQueen from Woodstock, Ont. played with the Windsor Spitfires in the Ontario Hockey League. “I had watched Zack a fair bit this year and was very pleased to have him commit to our program,” says Peddle. “He came highly recommended from coaches and scouts and plays a very honest game - his compete level is extraordinary. Zack plays both ways and has the ability to contribute offensively with good skills and a great hockey sense, but he is also very tenacious and finishes every hit. He was very popular assistant captain in Windsor and will be a nice addition to our group.”
The 2011-12 X-Men earned a 10-14-4 record for a sixth place finish in the competitive AUS conference, falling to Moncton 2-1 in the AUS quarter-finals. The X-Men will begin their 2012-13 campaign with exhibition play in late September, while AUS regular season opens on the weekend of Oct. 12-13.
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