The Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) are pleased to announce that 1996-born defenceman Kord Pankewicz (Drayton Valley, AB) has committed to attend and play for Mount Royal University, beginning in the 2017-18 Canada West Universities Athletic Association (CWUAA) season.
Located in Calgary, Alberta, the Mount Royal Cougars play under third-year head coach Bert Gilling, a two-time CWUAA Coach of the Year. Former Bandits Cam Maclise and Maddison Smiley have also played for Gilling’s squad.
“I’m beyond excited to join Mount Royal and become a Cougar,” said Pankewicz. “I really enjoyed my tour of the school, and the facilities were second to none.”
Pankewicz, 21, joined the Bandits in early December after a 249-game career with the Brandon Wheat Kings and Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League (WHL), where last season he was the 17th-highest scoring defenceman in the league.
With the Bandits, Pankewicz recorded 28 points (6 goals, 22 assists) in only 31 games, adding a further 8 points (1 goal, 7 assists) in 13 AJHL playoff games, 3 assists in 5 Western Canada Cup games, and 3 more assists in 6 games at the 2017 RBC Cup.
“Kord was a key mid-season addition to our team,” said Bandits head coach and general manager Ryan Papaioannou. “He brought both offensive play-making along with shutdown defence.
“He became a top penalty killer for us and was instrumental in the run to the RBC,” he added. “This opportunity at Mount Royal is exciting for Kord and he will get the best of academics and athletics over his time there.
“We wish Kord the best and thank him for his efforts as a Brooks Bandit.”
The 5’11”, 210lb defenceman finishes his junior career with a total of 304 junior hockey games played, with 156 points scored in that span, and 342 penalty minutes.
He is the 13th player from the 2016-17 Bandits roster to be committed to a postsecondary institution.