Chilliwack Chiefs great Jordan Kawaguchi will wear the captain’s C for the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks next season.
The Abbotsford product was voted into the role by his teammates, who were on the ice Monday for an informal skate at the Ralph Engelstad Arena. Kawaguchi wore the alternate captain’s A last season, and his breakout performance on the ice made him a logical candidate for the promotion.
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Gooch posted 15 goals and 45 points, 16 more than the next highest-scoring Hawk. He earned All-American status and made the final three for the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the top player in NCAA men’s hockey. His team had the fourth best record in program history (26-5-4) when the 2019-20 season was halted by COVID-19.
Kawaguchi is the first UND captain to hail from British Columbia since Powell River’s Brad Bombardir led the team in 1993-94.
The 23-year-old forward bypassed National Hockey League opportunities to return to the Fighting Hawks in 2020-21. This will be his fourth campaign.
Kawaguchi played in Chilliwack from 2013 to 2017 and captained the junior A club in his final season.
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