Lakehead University and the Thunderwolves hockey team are pleased to announce that defenceman Dillon Donnelly is the programs first commitment of the 2016 recruiting class.
Donnelly played CIS hockey last season for St. Thomas of the AUS conference, where he was named the teams top freshman before the hockey program was dropped by the university earlier this month.
Prior to that, he played five seasons with three different teams in the QMJHL, highlighted bya Memorial Cup championship with the Shawinigan Cataractes in 2011-12. The 62, 215-pound rearguard from Dorval, Quebec also suited up for the Moncton Wildcats and Quebec Remparts during his junior career.
A seventh-round NHL draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche, Donnelly is excited to be coming to Lakehead in the fall. Ive heard a lot about the community support that the Thunderwolves have, and I think it will be great to play in front of big crowds again like I did in junior, he said.
Wolves coach Bill McDonald likes what Donnelly brings to the table. Hes a big, tough defenceman that plays with an edge takes care of his own end, he said. Dillon is a proven winner and he logged a lot of ice time in his first year in the CIS. That experience is definitely a plus.
Dillon is the son of Gord Donnelly, who played 13 seasons in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques, Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres andDallas Stars between 1983 and 1995.