One junior team’s loss is turning out to be another’s gain.
Nate Frechette tried to play junior hockey in Vermont this season. Through 20 games, Frechette had 15 points and led the team in plus-minus, this despite being shifted for the first time in his life back to defense.
“A lot of things were going wrong in Vermont,” said Frechette. “We were playing games with 10 or 11 guys.”
Frechette packed up and came home, and has now found a new team with which to play.
The Maine Moose, a new junior team in the America East Junior Hockey League, announced Friday that Frechette, 18, was signed as one of the team’s first two players. Frechette, along with Belgrade’s Drew Glasheen, are the first two players signed by the fledgling organization.
“These are both solid kids,” said Moose owner Steve Levesque. “Both of them want to go to college, and both of them are willing to do what it takes to get there.”
Levesque reiterated his team’s philosophy of partnering with – and not raiding – Maine’s high school teams to build the Moose.
“I know some people are concerned,” said Levesque, “but the proof will be in the players we sign.”
Frechette, meanwhile, has also started a job with the Moose, helping the team distribute flyers and posters, and even doing some scouting for the team at local high school games.
“They’re here to work for us, really,” Frechette said of his new bosses. “Steve really has put together a group of people that’s going to help us. They’re here to promote us, to help us get to play hockey at the next level.”
Glasheen is another 20-year-old skater who played his high school hockey at St. Cloud Tech in Minnesota, a nationally-ranked high school program. His parents moved to Maine while he attended Ferris State University, where he played for the school’s American Collegiate Hockey Association team. Glasheen left Ferris State, moved to Maine and now lives with his parents in Belgrade.
“Both these guys exhibit the traits we seek in all Moose players,” said Levesque. “They have solid citizenship, superior hockey skill, the drive necessary to compete at the highest level and the motivation to advance to the college ranks. We look forward to seeing these boys play next season. They both possess great speed and have terrific hands, which will compliment our up-tempo style of hockey.”
The Maine Moose will compete as a member of the AEHL starting in September. The team is designed for high school graduates or undergraduates without a team on which to play.
Tryouts for the team are scheduled for April 15 and 16 at the Kennebec Ice Arena.
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