The Eastern Washington University Hockey Club has announced that two players, Kyle Blondin, from Renton, Wash. and Connell Totten, from North Bend, Wash. have committed to play for the team in the 2013-14 British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League season.
Blondin is a 6 foot, 175 pound defenseman that comes to EWU from the Seattle Totems of the Western States Hockey League where he played 140 games, scored 24 goals, 55 assists and earned 499 penalty minutes over parts of five seasons. Blondin also had stints in the North American Hockey League with St. Louis and Alexandria.
“Kyle is the type of player and person we are trying to bring into this program with a history of high academic marks and the ability to play hockey at a high level,” Eagles’ head coach Bill Shaw said.
Shaw brought Blondin in on a visit in January and he got to see some games and meet the current year’s players. Everyone thought he would be a good fit in the program, Shaw said. Blondin will be reunited with former Totems teammate Kjell Sherman.
Shaw sees that as a positive for a few reasons “it helps us get a footprint with junior programs when we can establish EWU as a pipeline for their players and when the players know others playing at EWU it makes them more comfortable.”
Totten is another defenseman (6-6, 225) and comes from the Dells Ducks of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League. “Connell is a big body that should help us control the play along the wall and also be a physical presence for the players on the other team to cope with,” Shaw said.
Shaw said he would announce more commitments soon. “We are pleased to see the Washington-born and developed players choosing to remain in the state because it shows how far the program at EWU has come,” Shaw said.
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