The Carleton men’s hockey team continues to undergo a makeover as it added four new recruits to the lineup for the upcoming season, along with a new assistant coach in former NHL defenceman Shaun Van Allen.
Among the new recruits is Matthew Dopud, a goaltender from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), Jordie Deagle, a forward from the Western Hockey League (WHL), Brad Albert, a defenceman from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Linden Bahm, a forward from the QMJHL.
As starting goalie for the Rimouski Oceanic last season, Dopud helped his team earn second place in the Telus Eastern Division, ending the season with a goals-against average of 3.59 and a save percentage of 0.885.
Deagle, a left-winger who also spent some time on defence for the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels, had 14 points and 70 penalty minutes last season.
Albert, an Ottawa native and former assistant captain of the OHL’s Brampton Battalion, tallied 45 points in four seasons with Brampton.
Bahm, also an Ottawa native, recorded 77 points in four seasons playing in the QMJHL, where he split time between the Shawinigan Cataractes and the Halifax Mooseheads.
In an email, Ravens captain Brad Good said that the addition of new players to a team’s roster is just part of the game and that it is an overall positive experience for everyone. The addition of new players “creates competitiveness to training camp and practice that is an essential part of a winning team,” Good said. “All of the new players find a way to fit into a lineup to contribute to team success.”
Behind the bench, the Ravens announced last month they have signed 12-year NHL veteran Shaun Van Allen as a new assistant coach. The Calgary native brings 17 years of pro hockey experience to Carleton, including six seasons with the Ottawa Senators. Most recently, Van Allen was a part-time coaching consultant for the Kemptville 73s of the Central Junior Hockey League (CJHL).
“The addition of Coach Van Allen to our team is a big deal for the program and its players,” Good said. “The NHL experience that he has gives [the team] a coaching staff full of playing experience that has experienced successful playing careers at all the top levels.”
With the coaching staff now set and an overhauled roster, Good said that the team is eager to begin its 2010-11 campaign.
“At this point, both the coaching staff and players are working hard to be prepared before the start of the season and, as always, we can’t wait to get on the ice again at the beginning of August,” he said.