OSHAWA, Ont. – A physical presence, with an offensive touch is what fans can expect when they see JC Thivierge suit up for the UOIT men's hockey team this fall.
Head coach Curtis Hodgins welcomed Thivierge at the Campus Ice Centre on Wednesday, with current men's hockey players, staff and Thivierge's family in attendance.
“He's big, mobile and can play both ends of the ice,” said Hodgins. “I think he has a little bit of everything in his game. I think he is going be a very good U SPORTS player and make our program better. We want to build this thing on the backs of good student-athletes and I see the marks JC has and what he wants to become after school. It's pretty impressive and I think he will fit in perfectly with the culture we're trying to build here.”
Over the past two seasons the 6'3 defenceman had 23 goals and 53 assists over 99 regular season games (0.77 points per game) with the Fort McMurray Oil Barons (AJHL). In 21 playoff games in Fort Mac he added 10 points.
Prior to his time in the AJHL he spent 2013-14 to 2015-16 in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) with the Caledonia Corvairs and Welland Jr. Canadians before playing 34 games in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
“I'm so excited. We have always heard that CIS (U SPORTS) is some of the best hockey out there and I'm really excited to learn as a player and as a person,” said Thivierge. “I'm a pretty physical player, first pass kind of guy and just jump into the rush after that. I'm really looking forward to it.”
Thivierge joins Jake Bricknell and Austin Eastman of the Aurora Tigers, who committed to the Ridgebacks earlier this year. The trio are the start of Hodgins' recruitment class that will be back on the ice for training camp this September.