17³Ō¹Ļ Panthers land former York Lion defender David DāAgostino for 2023ā24 season
The 17³Ō¹Ļ Menās Hockey Panthers have secured a commitment from veteran defender David DāAgostino for the 2023ā24 season.
DāAgostino spent the past four years with the York Lions and gives the Panthers another experienced option on the back end. The 25-year-old from Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, recorded six goals and 16 assists in 66 games with the club.
Standing at five-foot-ten, DāAgostino isnāt the biggest defender in the league, but he makes up for it with his skating ability and offensive upside.
āBeing a smaller D-man for most of my career, it was almost mandatory that I could skate well,ā he said. āI play an offensive-minded game and hope to help my teammatesā game by providing an extra layer of offence.ā
DāAgostino said heās looking forward to this new chapter in his life where heāll play a leadership role.
āI want to try and keep things competitive but also use my experience to support the incoming players through the transition from junior to university, specifically off the ice and in the classroom,ā said DāAgostino, who is pursuing a Master of Business Administration in Global Leadership degree.
Head coach Forbes MacPherson said heās excited to add another skater whoās familiar with U SPORTS hockey and the challenges of being a student-athlete.
āDavid is a smart kid and will bring a ton of experience and maturity to our roster and dressing room,ā MacPherson said. āDavid was looking to transfer to 17³Ō¹Ļ for the Global Leadership program, and the situation worked out for both parties, so weāre pleased to welcome David.ā
DāAgostino expects the 17³Ō¹Ļ Menās Hockey Panthers team to be competitive when the first puck drops, and he hopes to be a big part of their fortunes.
āIt looks like weāve got a lot of talent coming in with our freshman class, and Iām excited to watch them turn heads,ā he said. āWhen I get there, I plan to take everything day by day and will do my best to make sure things gel as fast as possible. Everyone in this league wants to win, and I would love to see us at the top come March.ā
