Three graduating Estevan Bruins players have determined where they will spend the next chapter of their hockey careers.
The Bruins announced last week that left winger Austin Daae has signed with the Fayetteville FireAntz of the Southern Professional Hockey League.
Goalie Matt Gibney and right winger Tanner Froese are both going the college route. Gibney has committed to the Neumann College Knights in Pennsylvania, while Froese will play for the St. Norbert College Green Knights.
Daae is coming off a 20-year-old season that saw him lead the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in scoring with 30 goals and 71 points. He was also named the league's player of the year.
After a season like that, there was fierce competition for his services at both the professional and college levels.
Daae said several SPHL teams had contacted him and he also fielded interest from several Canadian universities. He strongly considered the University of Saskatchewan, St. Thomas University and Lakehead University.
However, the Estevan native decided to take the pro route because he didn't know what he would study if he went to school. He made the choice after speaking to friends who had played both Canadian university and pro hockey.
It was only recently that FireAntz head coach Emery Olauson, a former Bruin himself, reached out to Daae. There had been a miscommunication and Olauson had been under the impression Daae was already off the market.
"These guys talked to me and actually he just found out recently that I was still looking to go play pro instead of school.
"He was pretty excited right away and told me what he could offer me for playing time. I only took about two days to go over things with him and finalize," Daae said.
He added that playing for Olauson, who was an assistant coach with the Flin Flon Bombers for the first half of last season before joining the FireAntz, was an added incentive.
"He knows what I'm about, he knows my strengths, he's seen me play and coached against me, he knows the type of player I am. He said nothing but good things about how I'll fit in there in an offensive role. I want to be able to play to my strengths and do what I do best," Daae said.
Olauson, a standout in Estevan in 2000-01, told Thomas Pope of the Fayetteville Observer that he expects Daae to make a smooth transition to the SPHL.
"He's pretty offensively gifted," Olauson said. "I expect him to step right in and be right among our leaders. I watched him when I was coaching in that league, and he was as elite as they come for that age. He kind of found his scoring knack last year, and that left shot is an offensive weapon that we didn't have when I got here."
Daae pointed out that teams in the SPHL run only three forward lines, so he will play a lot of minutes and conditioning will be important.
He is hoping to get an East Coast Hockey League tryout at the start of the season before heading to Fayetteville.
"That's the goal. I'm already getting some interest from the ECHL. I'll try to keep moving up."
Playing pro hockey will literally give Daae a change of scenery, as he leaves the flatlands of Saskatchewan for the beaches of North Carolina.
"It's going to be different. I'm excited. I know a little bit about North Carolina. I know there's mountains, they've got beaches, lots of nice places and the weather will be nice. I'll probably be wearing shorts all winter. I'm excited to see that part of the world."
Gibney, meanwhile, will play Division III hockey in Aston, Penn., after a stellar season in Estevan. The Knights are part of the Eastern College Athletic Conference West.
Gibney, 21, was busy in his final season of junior hockey, appearing in 43 games with the Bruins. He posted a .912 save percentage and 2.99 goals-against average. He took his game to a new level in the playoffs, boasting a sparkling .943 save percentage and 2.27 goals-against average.
Froese is the latest in a long line of SJHL players to join St. Norbert, which is located in De Pere, Wisc. The Green Knights won the national Division III championship last year, giving them four titles since 2008.
Froese was Estevan's captain in his final year, posting 57 points in 55 games as an overager. That put him in sixth place in the league scoring race.
