The Selkirk College Men’s Hockey program is pleased to announce a playing commitment from defenceman David Mead (Conklin, NY) to attend Selkirk College and compete for the Saints beginning in the 2013/14 B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League season.
The 20-year-old joins the Saints following a long junior hockey career that began in 2008 with the Ontario Hockey League’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He spent two seasons with the Greyhounds, posting six assists and 68 penalty minutes in 88 regular season games. He went on to spend the 2010/11 and 2011/12 campaigns in the United States Hockey League with the Omaha Lancers and Fargo Force respectively.
Mead recently concluded his final junior season with the North American Hockey League’s Wenatchee Wild, who helped to a Western Division championship and a birth in the league’s Robertson Cup Championship. In 49 games with the Wild, Mead scored three goals and accumulated 10 points and 154 penalty minutes while serving as one of the team’s assistant captains.
Overall, the 6-foot-one, 220-pound blueliner totaled four goals, 15 assists and 305 penalty minutes over five seasons of junior hockey in the OHL, USHL and NAHL.
“David is a big, rugged defenceman who is going to bring a great deal of experience and leadership to our blueline,” says Saints head coach Jeff Dubois. “He also adds a physical dimension that we’ve looked to fill during our offseason recruiting. From everything I’ve heard from his previous coach in Wenatchee, David is a high-character individual and a popular teammate. I’m looking forward to him stepping in and playing a key role for our team next season.”
Mead plans to study a mix of Business Administration and Golf Course Management once at Selkirk.
“I’m really looking forward to joining a well-established hockey program and helping to continue the commitment to excellence the Saints have established,” says Mead, who describes himself as a physical, stay-at-home defenceman with good vision and some offensive flair ‘that shows up from time to time’.
“I’m also excited for the opportunity to get a great education from a college with a hands-on curriculum. On the ice, I’d like to help the team win another BCIHL championship while providing leadership and a team-first attitude.”
“David is a very experienced defensive defencemen,” says Wenatchee Wild head coach Bliss Littler, who also coached Mead with the USHL’s Omaha Lancers. “He can play against the other team’s top players as an effective shut-down defensemen, but what makes him special is his commitment level to his team.”
Mead is the fifth defenceman and 10th player overall to commit to the Saints for the 2013/14 season. He joins forwards Darnell Dyck (Langley, BCHL), Markus McCrea (Youngstown, USHL) and Garrett Kucher (Osoyoos, KIJHL), blueliners Stefan Gonzales (Aldergrove, PJHL), Arie Postmus (Beaver Valley, KIJHL), Ryan Procyshyn (Delta, PJHL) and Tanner Lenting (North Delta, PJHL) and goaltenders Myles Hovdebo (LaRonge, SJHL) and Aaron Oakley (Abbotsford, PJHL).
