Andy Williams will have a new teammate who was an old teammate. Joining goaltender Williams in the lineup of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) Trojans next fall is forward Mitch Neumeier. The two played together on the Grande Prairie Storm in 2010-2011.
Neumeier, who played with the Storm from 2009-2012, committed to the Trojans this week. The Trojans play in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference in the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association.
“Mitch had a great career with our hockey team,” said Storm coach/general manager Blaine Bablitz. “He played and worked hard every day at the rink and at the gym. He was a great citizen in the community giving up countless hours of his time to represent our team.”
Neumeier, who was captain of the Storm his final year of Junior A hockey with the Alberta Junior Hockey League team, played 160 regular season games over his three years in Grande Prairie finishing with 39 goals and 41 assists and 248 penalty minutes.
His best year was 2010-2011 when he had 24 goals and 19 helpers playing 60 games. Last year injury limited him to 44 games.
“Mitch’s leadership on and off the ice will be greatly missed next season,” said Bablitz. “I would like to wish Mitch and his family all the best in his future endeavours. Mitch will be a great addition to the SAIT program.”
Neumeier, who hails from Dodsland, Saskatchewan and turned 21 in February, is the fifth Storm player to join a CCAA team in the last five years and the 26th to commit to a Canadian or American post-secondary institution.
Included in those commitments are 12 players who joined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), seven in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) and two to the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL).