CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - Adam Marsh is moving on with the next chapter of his hockey career.
The 20-year-old Chicago native has joined the York University Lions in Toronto after playing a year with the Charlottetown Islanders.
He left the Isles for what the team called personal reasons on Nov. 16. Court documents show Marsh is facing an impaired driving charge from Nov. 13.
Islanders head coach and general manager Jim Hulton said Thursday they spoke with Marsh about different possibilities, including rejoining the team.
“We decided it was in the best interest of both parties for a clean break. He agreed and, I think, in his mindset he wanted to move on with school,” Hulton said. “The more we talked he was kind of worried how things were being perceived not just here, but probably in our whole league.”
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The Islanders acquired Marsh with Francois Beauchemin during a January trade with the Val-d’Or Foreurs.
He had 23 points in 27 regular season games, playing primarily with Filip Chlapik and Kameron Kielly down the stretch.
He returned to the Islanders as an overage player this season and had six goals and nine assists for 15 points in 19 games. He was tied for second in team scoring when he left the squad.
“He was a really gritty competitor who gave us a lot of valuable minutes in a variety of different roles,” Hulton said.
The Lions are 11-5-1 in the Ontario Universities Athletics (OUA) West Division.
Hulton said the team will fill the overage spot before the trade period ends on Jan. 6. It could make a deal within the league, but it is exploring all possibilities.
In a perfect world, the Isles would like to add a right-handed shot who could help them on the power play. Charlottetown entered Thursday’s game in Halifax with the second-worst power play (14.6 per cent).
The Islanders have gone 9-3-1-0 since Marsh left.
“They handled it the way they’ve handled most everything this year, with just a quiet professionalism,” Hulton said. “Our internal leadership doesn't allow anything to be a real major distraction. ..
“Whoever is wearing the sweater tonight has an expectation to play a certain way.”
