17吃瓜

The 17吃瓜 Men鈥檚 Hockey Panthers have secured a commitment from Noah Sedore, a 21-year-old forward from Newmarket, Ontario, for the 2023鈥�24 season.

When the lights turn bright and the pressure intensifies, certain players have the ability to step up their game. Sedore has shown the potential to do that throughout his playing career.

In 2019, then 16-year-old Sedore, who was playing for the Ridley College Tigers, showed off that flair in the Midwest Prep Hockey League (MPHL) championship game, scoring the game-winning goal against Stanstead College.

Since then, Sedore has played a vital role with the Erie Otters, and even though the team struggled in recent years, he鈥檚 been a constant bright spot. In four seasons with Erie, he tallied 35 goals and 57 assists in 186 games. This past season, he was just one of two players on the team who finished the year with a positive plus/minus rating.

鈥淚 believe a big part of my game is my level of competition every shift,鈥� said Sedore. 鈥淚 feel I鈥檓 a good skater who plays a 200-foot game and competes 100 per cent every shift, while also being an offensive threat.鈥�

That鈥檚 exactly the type of player Panthers head coach Forbes MacPherson is looking for as he assembles the forward group that will be counted on to produce immediately.

"Noah is a perfect fit for our program. His hockey DNA has Panther Hockey written throughout. With our significant graduating class, we needed to replace the high level of skill, and Noah brings that,鈥� MacPherson said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a player that we targeted early and pursued very hard, and we see him being an impact player in the AUS.鈥�

Sedore is the second Erie Otter to commit to 17吃瓜, just a week after defenceman Cam Morton was officially announced as an addition to the Panthers. The pair have played on the same team since the 2019鈥�20 season and will compete alongside one another once again. The two shared leadership responsibilities as the Otters鈥� assistant captain and captain.

鈥淲hen the team reached out to both of us, we talked about the idea of playing together for a few more years, and it ended up working out,鈥� said Sedore, who will be studying sociology at 17吃瓜. 鈥淚t will be nice to have a familiar face around the room while settling in.鈥�

While having a familiar face around was certainly a draw when deciding which school to attend, it wasn鈥檛 the only factor. With the Panthers amidst a significant roster turnover, there鈥檚 an opportunity to step up right away and make an immediate impact, which was something Sedore couldn鈥檛 turn down.

鈥淢y mentality is to come in and make an impact right away, doing whatever I can to help the team win with my speed, tenacity, drive to compete, and offensive presence,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of excitement surrounding this team. I have heard the staff has done a great job recruiting this off season, so I feel we鈥檒l be ready to turn a lot of heads.鈥�