A trio of Bomber defencemen from last year’s squad are the team’s latest commitments to post-secondary hockey teams.
Lucas Fry will play USports hockey at the Univ. of Manitoba, while both Cory King and Reece Richmond will suit up together in Calgary at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) Trojans.
Fry, originally from Winnipeg, will return to his hometown for university, as per a July 20 announcement. Fry suited up for 128 games for the Bombers between regular season and playoffs over the past three seasons. The shutdown defender was the team’s captain for the 2022-23 season, playing all games he was available to suit up for except for a two-game regular season suspension and an injury in playoffs.
The two-time reigning Bomber best defensive player had 12 points, including one goal, in 54 regular season games and two goals and three points in 13 playoff games last season. Fry’s junior A career ended with a freak accident in Game 1 of the Bombers’ series against the Battlefords North Stars, when a skate came up and sliced an artery in his arm during the game. Fry would miss the remainder of the playoffs, but is anticipated to be available for play this season for the Bisons.
“We are very happy for Lucas. His hard work and commitment to being such a team guy has paid off,” said Bomber head coach and general manager Mike Reagan.
“Every team needs a guy like Fry who buys into playing his role. The U of M is getting a great person.”
King and Richmond’s commitments were announced July 24. The pair of players each joined the Bombers for the 2021-22 season and were key cogs in the Bomber teams that reached the SJHL finals in both 2022 and 2023.
King, who hails from Souris, Man., came to the Bombers after a spell in the WHL with Moose Jaw and played 122 Bomber games, racking up 49 points as a jack-of-all-trades D-man. Richmond, the Bombers’ reigning best defenceman award winner, played 141 games as a Bomber and racked up 93 points. Following in the skate tracks of his older brother Ryder, Reece came north from Forrest, Man. and made an impact with the club, finishing second in SJHL scoring by a defenceman last season.
The commitments of Fry, King and Richmond mean that all eight of the Bombers’ graduating players from last season will be playing college or university hockey next season. Forwards Cole Duperreault and Jaeden Mercier are both heading to the NCAA to play Division I hockey with the Lindenwood Lions, joining former Bomber teammate Drew Kuzma. Forward Ethan Mercer is also heading to Alberta to play USports hockey for the Macewan University Griffins, while graduating defender Alex Von Sprecken committed to play for the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Ooks in January. Forward Zach Cain will play with King and Richmond at SAIT.
Three other Bombers who played parts of last season with the club, forwards Ethan Anstey, Jaxon Martens and Jordan Pfoh, are also heading on to scholastic hockey - Anstey and Pfoh will play B.C. intercollegiate hockey with the Univ. of Victoria and Vancouver Island Univ. respectively, while Martens will play USports hockey in Calgary with Mount Royal Univ.
Forwards Jeremi Tremblay and Jacob Vockler also have future commitments to NCAA Division I programs - Tremblay is set to go to Sacred Heart Univ., while Vockler has committed to Merrimack College.
Trades
Next season’s Bomber squad is also taking shape, with the team announcing a pair of trades to bring in new players.
First, the Bombers announced July 12 that the team had acquired the SJHL playing rights for 2003-born forward Riley Niven from the Weyburn Red Wings for future considerations and a fourth-round pick in next year’s SJHL bantam draft.
Niven has not yet played a game in the SJHL, but has been a part of the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors for parts of the past three seasons, playing 112 games and tallying 26 points. The Wawota, Sask. native also played at the Rink Hockey Academy in Winnipeg before major junior, including playing for a time with Flin Flon native Justin Lies on the program’s under-16 team.
Niven has, according to Reagan at the team’s recent annual general meeting, not decided whether or not he will play for the Bombers this season, but Reagan said he was optimistic the forward would head north for his final season of junior A eligibility.
The Bombers also pulled the trigger on a second deal July 21, picking up B.C. forward Bailey Ewonus from the AJHL’s Grande Prairie Storm for a player development fee.
Ewonus played both for the Storm and the Blackfalds Bulldogs last season, racking up 10 points in 47 regular season games and adding one goal in four playoff games.
Ewonus weighs in at 6-foot-4, 170 pounds and can play all three forward positions, both traits Reagan considers to be positive.
“He’s a big forward that can play both centre and wing, he skates really well and has a high compete level,” said Reagan.
“Bailey is a player we have been targeting for a while now and we are really happy to now have him a part of the team.”
