ANTIGONISH, N.S. — With the AUS league cancelled in March, recruitment for the 2020-21 season has started early.
“The last three to four weeks have been extremely busy,” said Brad Peddle, St. FX head coach for the men’s hockey team. “We had a big turnover this year. We graduated a lot of guys who had been here for four or five years. With that comes change and we’re getting there.”
On April 17, some of the latest changes were announced with four new forwards joining the X-Men line-up.
Among them is P.E.I. native Dallas Farrell, who credits his former Pictou County Crushers teammates and coaches for getting him to where he is now.
“There are no words that I can really use to describe it,” said the right winger from Montague, P.E.I. “At the start of the year with Pictou I set a goal to play AUS hockey. Everyone there helped to put me in a position to succeed.”
Farrell said that he plans to take business when studying at St. FX and is spending the summer doing what he can to stay active.
“Just doing what I can to stay fit and be as prepared as I can be for next year. Obviously AUS is bigger, faster and stronger than where I came from, but the coaching staff at St. FX will really help me develop into the player I need to be in order to be successful.”
Ability on the ice is not the only thing that recruiters look for in future players.
“Character means a lot to us in terms of the kids we recruit,” said Peddle. “It’s really important for us to make sure we go after the right kids and guys that fit into the culture we have here.”
The other three players announced on Friday are:
Leif Mattson on right wing has 57 points with the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL and participant in the 2019 NHL Prospects Showcase for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Conner Bruggen-Cate on left wing with 62 games under his belt with the EHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds where he was team captain in 2019-20.
Matthew Phillip on left wing who joins the AUS after four seasons in the OHL where he played with the Owen Sound Attack and Niagara Ice Dogs.
Recruitment for the X-Men is far from over, but Peddle says that he’s happy with the roster that they’re building.
“We’re getting there,” said Peddle. “We’ve still got some spots to secure, but we’re really happy with our recruiting class to date.”
