(Spruce Grove, AB) – The Spruce Grove Saints are proud to announce 20-year-old forward Jacob Rochford has committed to the University of Western Ontario Mustangs, who compete in the Ontario University Athletics Far West Division, within Canadian University Sports (U-Sport) for the upcoming season.
Rochford spent the past two seasons with the Saints after playing two years in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) with the Komoka Kings. During his time in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) with Spruce Grove, Rochford compiled 59 points through 75 combined regular season and playoff games. The 5’11″, 185-pound power forward from London, Ontario was named assistant captain of the Saints this past season, leading the team to their third consecutive North Division Championship.
The University of Western Ontario Mustangs finished fourth in their division this past season, going 7-7-0. The University is located in Rochford’s hometown of London, Ontario. Jacob will be enrolling in the University’s Kinesiology program this upcoming fall.
Saints General Manager Rob Sklaruk spoke about his veteran forward heading to U-Sport saying, ” I am very proud of Jacob and his commitment to attend the University of Western Ontario. He was a player who competed hard every night and was extremely engaged in the leadership of our team. I wish Jacob all the best both on and off the ice, as he continues his career with the Mustangs.”
Saints Head Coach Bram Stephen spoke about Rochford heading to school in his hometown saying, “I’m really excited for Jacob, he was a warrior for the Saints over the past two seasons. He has an incredibly high character and maturity level. He’s a salt of the earth type of person and I’m looking forward to watching him continue his journey.”
A thrilled Rochford spoke of his commitment to the Mustangs and says, “I am very excited to start the next chapter of my life at the University of Western Ontario. It feels great to be able to have an opportunity like this, where the schooling and hockey program are both top notch. I cannot thank the Saints organization enough for all they have done to help me make the jump and achieve my goals.”
Rochford joins Bryan McAndrews (York University), Will Holland (Babson College), Cade Mason (Long Island University), Logan Acheson (Bemidji State), Caiden Gault (Ferris State), Jayden Davis (Notre Dame), Luigi Benincasa (Ferris State), Niko Jovanovic (Notre Dame), Liam Watkins (Nebraska-Omaha), Brett Pfoh (Bowling Green), Breck McKinley (Bowling Green) and Braden Virtue (Carleton University) as committed players to post-secondary education from this past season.
The entire Saints organization would like to congratulate Jacob and his family on his commitment and wish him the best of luck at the next level.
You can secure your 2022-2023 Spruce Grove Saints season tickets online now at tickets.sprucegrovesaints.ca