Sherwood Park, AB – The Sherwood Park Crusaders are proud to announce five players have signed their letter of intents to join the organization for the 2019/20 season forwards Ryley Morgan (‘02), Nick Magis (‘01), and Vincent Scott (‘02), as well as defencemen Matt Smith (‘03) and Kevin Minnoch (‘02), will be joining the organization next season.
“We’re excited to welcome Ryley, Nick, Vincent, Matt, and Kevin to our organization,” said General Manager Kyle Chase. “Both the players and families have all been fantastic throughout the entire process. They tick all the boxes both on and off the ice with character, skill, and educationally too. We’re fortunate to be able to bring them on board”.
Ryley Morgan is currently with the Knights of Columbus MAAA Pats of the Alberta Midget Hockey League (AMHL). The 2002-born St Albert, native is having a successful first campaign with the Pats program, currently sitting second on the team in scoring with 35 points (12 goals, 23 assists) in 33 games. Morgan played Bantam AAA with a both Carter Savoie and Michael Benning back in 2017 on the St Albert Raiders. That same year, the 5’7”, 161 lbs forward scored 63 points (27 goals, 36 assists) and finished third on the team in scoring. He also played with the pair of current Crusaders at the Alberta Cup for Team Northwest.
Vincent Scott, from Edmonton, AB, is a top 20 scorer in the AMHL with the CAC Canadians MAAA. He’s playing at a point-per-game rate with 32 points (18 goals, 14 assists) in 32 games and is five points short of his career-high of 37. In 2017, Scott was a member of the Team Edmonton Blue roster for the Alberta Cup where he scored 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) in 6 games.
“Vincent (Scott) and Ryley (Morgan) are two smaller forwards who play with a lot of speed and skill,” stated Kyle Chase. “They come to the rink every day to work. They’re usually the hardest workers on the ice game in and game out”.
Nick Magis, is the eldest of the 2019 recruits, is joining the Crusaders from the OHA Edmonton Prep. Now in his second season with OHA, the Leduc, AB, native has already surpassed his career high of 17 points, having scored 33 points (13 goals, 20 assists) in 32 games. The 5’11’, 181 lbs, forward will enter next season with junior experience under his belt after playing four games with the Drayton Valley Thunder earlier this season. Magis is a former Leduc Oil King where he played on the Minor Midget AAA team with Crusaders goaltender Carter Gylander.
“Magis plays the same way as Scott and Morgan with his speed and skill, but also has heavy style to his game,” continued Kyle Chase. He’s physical, skates well, and has a heavy shot. He also thinks the game really well”.
On the blueline, the Crusaders welcome both Matt Smith and Kevin Minnoch to the organization, both of whom have suited up for for the team earlier this season.
Smith, an Edmonton, AB, native has played two games for the Crusaders this season against the Spruce Grove Saints and Lloydminster Bobcats. He’s playing full-time with the Fort Saskatchewan MAAA Rangers (AMHL) who are currently second in the Dodge Division with an 18-13-3 record. Smith has played a significant part in his team’s success with his two-way game. Offensively, the 6’0’, 154 lbs, defenceman has 11 points (2 goals, 9 assists) in 33 games in his first season with the Rangers. Smith has also been selected to play for Team Alberta the 2019 Canada Winter Games.
“Matt (Smith) is a high draft pick from the Western Hockey League, and we’re incredibly excited to have him on board”, said Kyle Chase. “He’s a great puck mover, plays physical, plays hard, and competes. Every single one of these guys competes at a high level.”
Minnoch, a Sherwood Park, AB, native is teammates with fellow 2019/2020 recruiting class member Ryley Morgan with the Knights of the Columbus Pats. Fans may recognize Minnoch from back in November when he suited up for a game at the Sherwood Park Arena against the Lloydminster Bobcats. In his first season in the Knights of Columbus program, the 5’10’, 161 lbs defenceman has matched his career high of 14 points (4 goals, 10 assists) in 31 games and had just two penalty minutes to his name. His 14 points are second amongst defenceman on his team.
“Kevin (Minnoch) is playing Midget AAA at the age of 16 which is very impressive. He’s a Sherwood Park product, so we’ve been able to track him for a while. He’s fast and skates at an elite level,” stated Chase. “Kevin’s very saleable out there, and a lot of his great work comes from his natural abilities.”
The Sherwood Park Crusaders would like to welcome the recruiting class of 2020 to the organization.
Fans can catch the Crusaders at the Sherwood Park Arena on Family Day Monday, February 18th, against the Camrose Kodiaks. Following the action on the ice, fans can join players for a post-game skate with the purchase of a game day ticket. Tickets are available here.